


Closer

by niamcuddles



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Businessman!Liam, Daddy Kink, M/M, but also fluff of course, college student!niall, obv a lot of smut, rich!liam, sugar daddy!liam, wont tag everything individually lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-08-29 12:32:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 209,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8489767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niamcuddles/pseuds/niamcuddles
Summary: Niall’s pretty sure he doesn’t actually have a real crush on the rich and arrogant guy he’s been attempting to teach how to golf, but there’s something about him that just won’t allow Niall to say no.Not even when he gets made a very unexpected offer.(Or where Niall works at the golf center and Liam just needs somebody.)





	1. Niall's POV

“So, who is that guy again? Like, what was so special about you carrying around his stuff that he gave you more tip than you earn in a week?” Niall had to suppress a sigh at that question, briefly biting his pen as he stopped writing for a moment, his friend’s curiosity distracting him from his essay. 

“Umm… I don’t know, honestly. I think he’s a politician and also the inventor of an app or something? Or maybe a website. I didn’t wanna ask too much, it… didn’t really seem appropriate.” Then again, nothing Niall had done while working with this man yesterday had seemed to be appropriate, even his work clothes that he was obliged to wear had made him feel pretty poor and trashy. Maybe that’s why he had gotten so much tip, out of pity.

“Right… what was his name again?” Without even turning around on his chair, Niall could tell that Harry was about to google this man and it yet again almost made him sigh, instead trying to finish the sentence he had started or he’d never get this essay done on time. 

“I didn’t ask his name, Haz, as I already told you a hundred times. We got introduced by my boss, I thought it was a joke because the guy was wearing a suit and had two bodyguards with him, but turns out he was actual a real pro at golf and all we really talked about was his technique and then before he left, or rather, was picked up by a driver, he gave me my tip and I was too shocked to even say thank you or goodbye.” That was literally the whole story, and Niall had had to tell it three times already because Harry still wouldn’t believe him for some reason.

“Strange… what idiot plays golf in a suit anyways?” Yet again, the slightly younger boy was somehow trying to find holes in Niall’s stories, his chuckle sounding kinda forced though as he seemed to run out of options.

“He wasn’t playing in the suit, he changed before starting the course and changed back when he was done.” Also a detail Niall had mentioned quite a few times before, but he would gladly repeat himself as many times as it took for his friend to finally let this drop. He had had a lucky day, had gotten assigned to caddie for some rich ass guy and next weekend he would probably go back to teaching some elderly people who would pinch his cheeks before they left or maybe some kids who really didn’t wanna be taught how to play golf and hit him across the face with their club. It had happened before.

“Weird. This is… maybe I should get a job at the golf center too, seems like a real gold mine.” Had Harry sounded serious, Niall would have immediately tried to talk his friend out of it, but he knew that it was just a joke, that Harry was desperately trying to overplay how jealous he was that Niall had made so much money in one day. Which was ridiculous, really, because Harry earned more than Niall anyways and he was working in a bakery, so that really said something. “Was he hot though? The guy, I mean?”

“Umm… he was like… kinda old.” That was actually an understatement, Niall had spent all day yesterday trying to figure out how old this man may be, but he had come to the conclusion that he was either really old and had had a lot done in his face, or really young and just looked kinda old in a certain light. 

“So? That’s not an answer. Some old guys are hot… like our new philosophy professor.” Oh god, Niall hated THAT topic even more than the previous one.

“He’s 58, Harry, he’s got two grandchildren.” They had googled him, just because Harry had pushed Niall to do it, and then they had found his Facebook and… well, he was definitely NOT a match for Harry. “Can we just focus for half an hour? I only need 200 more words for my essay.”

“You can focus, I’m not stopping you, just thinking out loud.” Now Niall did finally turn around at this, simply so he could roll his eyes at his friend, who was sprawled out on the carpet of all places, in the very middle of their tiny dorm room, typing away on his phone as he was undoubtedly attempting to figure out who the man was that had given Niall such a huge tip that it apparently wouldn’t allow Harry to sleep at night. 

“Haz, I can’t tell you his name, even if I would remember it, it’s confidential information, I could lose my job.” Well, usually Niall wasn’t shy to rant to his best friend about any costumer he met, but… this was different, this man had looked rather important and he had definitely briefly mentioned that he was a politician. “Tell you what, I’ll finish my essay and then we can stalk that philosophy professor some more, okay?”

“Ni, you know I was just joking, right? I don’t have a crush on him, I just thought he looked alright. And you’ve been working on that essay for like, five hours now, it’s only 600 words, what are you even doing? We’re not in Oxford, you know, and you’re already on top of class anyways, you smart ass.” Niall had turned back around again, shaking his head a bit as he continued writing, hoping that Harry would let him finish in peace.

It was kinda hot in the room even though there was rain drizzling against the window and the sun was already setting, giving quite the view across campus that Niall tried to ignore because he really had to finish this and then rewrite it on his laptop which would cause Harry to complain even more. They were set to meet with some friends in a few hours, but Niall really wasn’t so keen on going anymore.

Today was Monday, meaning they’d have to get up early again tomorrow and if there was one thing that could drive Niall crazy, it was not getting enough sleep. Not that he was the kinda guy who wanted to stay in and go to bed at 9 pm, quite the opposite actually, it’s just… the boy took uni more serious than his friends and he was aware of it, but there were reasons behind that and anyways, he saw nothing wrong with it either.

For about twenty minutes, the only thing audible was the scratching of Niall’s pen against the paper and Harry’s occasional sighs from the floor and his clothes rubbing against the carpet whenever he moved. Then, and Niall already knew it was coming seconds before his friend opened his mouth, Harry broke the silence. “You know… if you could at least give me a _hint_ what his name was, I know you know it, Nialler, and I’m your very best friend in the entire world, am I not? I punched a guy for you once.”

“You kicked our kindergarten teacher in the shin because he tried to stop me from eating the crayons. I got a really weird infection afterwards.” Honestly, they had so many weird memories together that somehow always ended really disastrous that Niall was afraid that if he did tell Harry the man’s name, it’d end just as badly.

“Just the first letter?” The other boy kept on begging and was possibly trying his puppy eyes on Niall, which wouldn’t be working because the blonde was very focused on the sheet of paper in front of him. 

There was some silence, some hesitation, and then Niall rolled his eyes again to himself, tried to tell himself it wasn’t a big deal because it was just a name and just some random man who happened to be rich and liked to play golf. Maybe he had misunderstood the politician thing anyways. “Payne. His last name was Payne.”

The sound that came out of his friend’s mouth after that was kinda worrying, also how quickly he moved as he was probably already on google search 0.1 seconds after Niall had given in, his stomach twisting into a tight ball as he regretted the decision just a second later. Two minutes later, when the blonde was already secretly practicing what he would say to the police when they would show up on his doorstep, he was surprised. “Did you make that up, Ni? That’s not funny, you know, there’s literally ten thousand people with that last name and all I’m getting are random pictures and social media profiles, no billionaire politician slash app inventor.”

“Maybe… maybe I misheard his name.” Niall offered, secretly very relieved, even as Harry let out a pretty loud groan. “Sorry.”

“Whatever. He probably gave you the money on accident or something.” If that was the explanation that would allow Harry to move on from this, then Niall would gladly support it. “I’m gonna go get something from the vending machine, do you want anything?”

“No, thanks. I’m almost done and then we can go, okay?” Right, now Niall felt kinda bad for having disappointed Harry, but he knew his friend would move on from it rather quickly, he always did.

As soon as Harry had left with a grumbled ‘Alright’, Niall could actually focus even less on his paper than he had when his friend had still been talking his ears off. He was 99% positive what the man’s name had been, not that he had asked for it, but his boss had mentioned it like 50 times, which probably was because they had never had such a posh customer before and he was probably desperate to keep him.

Though the tip had been nice and watching a kind of professional play hadn’t been that bad either, Niall actually wouldn’t be too sad if the man never came back again. Mostly because it would keep Harry from asking about it again and again, but also a little bit because it had been kinda weird, spending time with this guy, especially because he had shown up with security guards and all that. Or maybe Niall was just worrying over nothing at all.

 

\---------

 

Waking up the next morning was really hard. Niall’s phone going off caused both him and Harry to jerk awake way sooner than they usually would have had to. Considering that they had gotten in kinda later than they had planned on after meeting with their friends and Harry making sure to tell _everyone_ about Niall’s work experience, it was extra hard to be ripped out of sleep at 6.30 am.

“Oh my god, turn it off!” Harry whined while Niall blindly searched for his phone between the sheets, not even having managed to open his eyes just yet. Their dorm room was kinda tiny, their beds only two meters or so apart and by now they had somewhat gotten used to it, but times like these, Niall was again reminded of his struggles to just fall asleep with Harry constantly tossing and turning.

Niall picked up his phone as soon as he had grabbed a hold of it, barely even having checked the screen, and his friend was still complaining in the other bed when the blonde was already holding the phone to his ear with closed eyes, no ideas what or who to expect. “…Hello?”

“Horan, is this you?” It was Niall’s boss, undoubtedly, the blonde had to suppress a sigh, putting one arm over his eyes, hoping to block out Harry’s noises of complaint and cursing.

“Yeah, what’s going on?” The blonde was too tired to have a serious conversation now and besides, his boss was kinda his age anyways, he probably wouldn’t even care, especially because he sounded kinda weird anyways.

“Listen, I switched your shifts with someone else, you gotta come in today.” Wait a second… 

“Why?” Niall didn’t actually mind, as long as he didn’t have to skip classes for it, which he probably wouldn’t have to, but this had never really happened before.

“Because… someone personally requested you. And-“

“Who?” Now the blonde was kinda more awake, because… this had also never happened before and though he did feel flattered for like a second, he suddenly felt really strange as his suspicion was growing. 

“You don’t know him, it doesn’t matter right now, I just wanted to make sure you know. Come in at 4, alright?” Great, that meant no break between uni and work, but… at least that meant Niall would have the next Saturday off. And also, it meant that it wasn’t the strange, rich man if Niall didn’t know him, but then again… how could someone request _him_ without even knowing him?

“Yeah, I… alright. See you later then.” Had it not been the most unholy hour to get a call, Niall would have maybe spent more thought on that conversation, but seeing as he was half asleep again a second after hanging up the phone, he was simply relieved. Especially because Harry never really asked about the nature of the call.

They stayed in bed until 8 am and then Niall was still the first one to get up, half having forgotten about his boss or work or the fact that someone could be so desperate to work with him that his boss switched the shifts around for a customer they apparently didn’t even know. Or maybe it was a friend of one of Niall’s coworkers or something, but then again, why would they want HIM? He was kinda good at golf, not to sound arrogant, but… so was everyone else working there. 

The day went by really slowly. Harry and Niall only had 2 classes together, the first and the last one, so of course when Niall told his friend that they couldn’t go grab something to eat because he had to go work, Harry was pouting just a little bit. “I thought you said you only gotta go back on Saturday, since when do you have to come in during the week?”

“It’s… an emergency, I… it sounded important.” Though Niall felt bad for lying, he didn’t really wanna give Harry another reason to interrogate him if a perfectly fine solution existed to this situation. “I’ll see you tonight, okay? Or are you going out?”

“I don’t know yet… I’ll text you.” And then Harry simply waved him off, going with some of their other friends and the blonde only felt a little bit jealous and also slightly guilty, because the expression on Harry’s face had been anything but satisfied with the excuse Niall had made up. Whatever, he was going to tell Harry the truth anyways, just not now.

The golf center wasn’t that far away from uni, it took Niall about half an hour to get there by bus, but it seemed a lot longer each time because it was always absolutely cramped at any day and time. Today though, the blonde had other worries than being short of breath and feeling slight anxiety creep up as he was surrounded and kept in place by strangers all around him. He had no idea what to expect once he got to work and it was unsettling.

“There you are, finally.” Niall’s boss seemed freaked out and nervous once the blonde came out of the employee’s lockers, having changed into his working clothes, all his attempts to calm himself down vanishing into thin air.

“It’s 5 minutes to 4, I always-“

“It doesn’t matter, let’s not keep your client waiting any longer.” Now he was calling him a client? Who was this guy?

“So… am I caddying again or… “ Or teaching? Usually Niall was told that before he met the customers, but as they were walking through the building, his boss’ only concern seemed to be that they were on time.

“I… I’m not sure.” What? 

Before the blonde could ask, his mouth actually already open, they walked into the lounge, usually preserved for the gold members and Niall really had no time to worry about it because he could already see the only two people in there, one in a suit, standing up, and another one sitting down, already changed in his golfing clothes. _Now_ Niall was even more confused.

“… so sorry that we’re late. This is Niall Horan, as requested, he’s gonna be on your full service today.” His boss’ voice was shaking, something that had never really happened before two days ago when he had introduced Niall to the rich guy. 

“No worries, you’re actually 2 minutes early.” The guy that had been sitting down was getting up now, smiling really widely and he was absolutely gorgeous, there was no denying that. He was wearing tightly fitted clothes that hugged his body perfectly, his brown hair styled to perfection and when he moved the air as he stretched his hand out towards Niall, the blonde couldn’t help but take a deeper breath than normally. “Hi, I’m Liam Payne.”

“I, uh… nice to meet you, I… “ Another Payne?! ALSO with a body guard? Was this like… a joke or something?

“Of course you already knew that Niall, didn’t you? Because I told you before so you could prepare, _right_?” His boss gave him a rather uncomforting push into the ribs as Niall shook the other guy’s hand, it was really warm and soft and he was sporting a watch on his wrist that looked worth more than the queen’s crown jewels. 

“Uh, right.” Niall almost forgot to let go of that Liam Payne’s hand again, his mind running wild as he tried to connect the dots. 

“Sorry… _uni students_.” Niall’s boss shook his head as he let out a very forced laugh that caused the Liam guy to crack another smile, somehow even more gorgeous than the last one. “Anyways, I’ll leave you to it then and… don’t hesitate to ask for anything that you need.”

“Thanks.” Liam Payne answered and then they were promptly left alone in a kinda uncomfortable silence. Well, besides that guy’s bodyguard, but as Niall had already learned two days ago, bodyguards didn’t seem to be very talkative. “So… should we-“

“Yes, yeah, I… right. This way. Do you have um… your own gear?” Niall still didn’t know what this guy wanted him to do, so he just led him towards the entrance to the golf course, barely paying attention to his surroundings because otherwise his question would have become unnecessary.

“Yep, it’s right here.” Hearing that posh guy talk like that was really weird, also, he was constantly smiling, even as he was about to pick up his own golf gear and Niall already saw red and a letter of complaint as he rushed to take it from him. Or rather, rip it out of his hands in the least graceful way possible.

“I’m carrying that, I’m so sorry, I didn’t notice that-“

“Hey, no worries, it’s fine. I can also carry it myself, unless there’s some rule that you have to do it, I’ve never been to a golf course in my whole life.” What?!

“I… so you… you want me to… to teach you then?” Oh god, why was this happening to Niall, why did he have to teach this undoubtedly very important customer how to play golf when he already had the most expensive gear that you could possibly buy? It was even bloody personalized for god’s sake! “I’m sorry, usually I’m told all these things before I start, but… my boss didn’t really tell me anything at all.”

“I’m just here to play a bit or learn how to do it, whatever you think we should do, it’s really important to my dad.” One second…

“Your dad, he… “ As they were stepping outside and walking towards the golf carts, the fog in Niall’s brain was slowly clearing up, but before he could be even more rude than he had already been, the other guy helped him out.

“Yeah, he’s been here three times during the last week and he said that you were the only one who seemed to be knowing what he was doing, so he… _recommended_ that I request you.” Oh, now it all made sense, Niall almost had to laugh out loud from relief. He had had no idea that apparently two of his coworkers had worked with the rich man as well, but it would explain why his boss had been freaking out that much when he had introduced them. Probably because the other two times had ended in a disaster if he had told his son to ask for Niall specifically, for whatever reason. “Hope that’s no trouble.”

“No, I… of course not. I was just… kinda confused and… because you have the same last name and… “ Because they both looked so posh and they both had bodyguards and maybe Niall was a bit too obvious as he briefly turned his head to check whether the man in the suit was following them because the Liam guy let out a laugh.

“Sorry, that’s my bodyguard, Paddy. He’s actually really nice when you get to know him.” Niall highly doubted that. 

All the three of them got into a golf cart a minute later, the bodyguard in the back, and Niall’s brain was running wild as he prayed to god that this guy wasn’t completely untalented. Usually he didn’t care if someone really could not play if their life depended on it, but those people also didn’t personally request him because they thought he was really capable of doing his job properly and maybe the other Payne would show up again once he found out his son was still not able to play golf to his expectations after today and kick Niall’s ass. Or have him arrested. 

They didn’t drive far, just to where the beginners were usually practicing and luckily today there were barely any people there. Or maybe it wasn’t all that much luck after all.

“Okay, let’s just… let’s just see how you do it first.” Usually Niall wouldn’t start like this, but this guy’s dad was a literal pro at golf and if he had urged him to come here then that possibly meant he had some talent? Anyways, Niall did not wanna offend this guy for anything in the world. “Here, take that one.”

“Thanks.” Liam took the golf club from the blonde, he was still smiling as Niall put the golf ball in position, prepared to be surprised. “Just forewarning you, I’ve honestly never played before.”

Niall didn’t answer, he thought, okay, maybe this guy was just really humble, surely, he couldn’t be THAT bad, right? The way he positioned himself didn’t seem to be too awfully wrong and for a moment, it seemed like he would actually hit the ball right away and probably shoot it really far, but… then he didn’t. Also not at the second try, or the third or fourth, and when he did it at the fifth, the ball didn’t go further than a few meters and also, Liam actually dropped the golf club. Oh god.

“Right, that was… “ A disaster, Niall could feel all the blood draining from his face as he desperately tried to think of the right word to say, already having made a move to pick the golf club back up for Liam.

“An absolute disaster?” Liam offered and to Niall’s surprise, as he looked up with quite some fear, the other man was STILL smiling, actually looking even more amused than before. “You can say it, it’s alright, I’ve never played before, never even wanted to. It just means a lot to my dad, so if you could maybe show me how to at least-“

“Of course, I… that’s my job. And… and it wasn’t THAT bad, I… some people never hit the ball at all and some hit my face instead or… other body parts.” The memory actually made Niall flinch, but at least it made Liam laugh and the blonde cracked a rather nervous smile. “Okay, so… I’ll show you how to do it and then you try again, alright?” 

Well aware of the other’s stare, Niall took his own golf club, suddenly feeling a little bit of pressure as he got ready to hit the ball because it would be just like him to embarrass himself. But he didn’t, it actually went quite well and Niall felt pride swelling in his chest even though there really was no reason to. He was working here, this was his job, he was supposed to be able to play like that.

“Wow. Now I see what my father meant.” Was Liam _trying_ to be so charming?

“Thanks, um… “ There was undoubtedly flush rising in Niall’s cheeks this time, but he did his best to overplay it and stay professional. Maybe a little bit too professional. “Okay, Mr. Payne, just-“

“Please, just say Liam instead, Mr. Payne is my dad.” Right, now Niall was blushing even worse.

“Okay, Liam, just… try and stand more firmly and your hands should be a little bit further up and… yeah like that and…” He really needed to turn his body differently and usually Niall wouldn’t be shy to step in and help correcting that, but… he was kinda hesitant this time, so he attempted to show Liam instead of actually touching him. 

It went slightly better than before, not great but at least Liam didn’t drop anything this time and Niall became a bit more hopeful that maybe he wasn’t a lost case. Then again, it had only been 5 minutes in and Niall didn’t really dare to be relieved just yet. Anyways, if Liam really turned out to be horrible at the end of this day then it wasn’t the blonde’s fault… right?

Damn, Harry was going to freak out when Niall told him about all of this.

They stayed at the same spot for about an hour, Niall had no idea how long Liam intended to stay, but he didn’t really care either ways because they would have to leave once it got dark anyways. Liam didn’t really improve all that much, he wasn’t particularly talented but he also wasn’t the worst of the worst, which… wouldn’t have been a compliment so Niall decided not to address it. 

When he suggested going to another spot, Liam was all in. He kept his happy mood and all the smiles and Niall started to wonder whether he really was this delighted to be here or whether he was just trying to… uphold a certain reputation. Had Niall not known better, he would have said Liam was flirting with him since about 30 minutes in, ever since the blonde had finally grown the balls to adjust Liam’s hips himself because he was consistently doing it wrong and the other man had laughed and winked at his brightly blushed face afterwards. 

“So… how did you get into golf?” Liam suddenly asked once they were at another spot with literally no people whatsoever and Liam’s bodyguard had taken a walk because his phone had been ringing. 

“I… my dad always took me, I’ve been playing since I was like, 12 or something.” Niall answered, a little bit surprised, trying to pretend that he was more focused on Liam’s hands holding the golf club (in the wrong position) than his face. 

“So that means you’ve been playing for… how long?” Oh, he had just been trying to figure out how old Niall was, in the smoothest way possible and maybe the blonde was overreacting but… he was _definitely_ asking for his age, wasn’t he? Even if he wasn’t even looking at Niall and biting his very plush bottom lip as he blew yet another attempt to hit the ball.

“For about 10 years… try and step back a little bit.” And then, because Liam didn’t really answer, Niall felt the need to clarify his answer, just in case anybody wanted to know. “I’m 21, but I’m turning 22 in a few weeks.”

“Right. Huh.” Was all Liam said, as if he didn’t even care, hitting the ball this time and Niall almost got upset. Damn, he needed to stop _wanting_ this guy to flirt with him. “You look younger.”

“I… what?” Had he really just said that? And why was he smirking at Niall like that, as if he knew just how worked up that comment made him feel, as if he was fucking teasing him. “How old do I look?”

“I don’t know, hmm… 18, at most?” WHAT?! “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Niall half snapped, not even feeling guilty for once as he placed another ball for Liam to hit on his one millionth attempt, wanting to bite his tongue but it just so came out by complete accident. “Try hitting it the first time for once maybe.”

For a moment, Niall froze as he stared at Liam, his mouth already opened for an apology when the other man surprised him by throwing his head back and laughing loudly, causing relief to spread through the blonde’s body. He still made a mental note though, to let his stubble grow out more. “I’ll try. Don’t think I’m gonna be able to do it though, if you keep staring at me like that.”

“I-I… I wasn’t staring, I was… I was just… making sure that… that you’re standing right.” Oh god damn it, could Niall be blushing even more?!

“Am I?” Liam asked, still not even having tried just once to hit the damn ball, instead he looked up, with those gorgeous brown eyes and Niall’s mouth went dry. “Or do you have something to correct again?”

“I… “ The blonde started, only now becoming aware of how inappropriate this whole conversation was, how unprofessional he was acting, but yet at the same time still busy trying to figure out whether he really looked as if he was 18 years old or if Liam had really just been making fun of him. “You should… you should, uh, turn your body more to the right.”

“Like that?” Like Niall had half expected, Liam made it even worse, whether on purpose or not, and now he was looking at the blonde all innocently and Niall tried to figure out how it had come to this, how they had suddenly started talking to each other like that and he decided that it didn’t matter because he really had no choice other than walking around the brunette, yet again putting his hands on him, breathing him in. This man truly smelled amazing.

“Like that.” Niall half choked out, almost forgetting to step back again, but to his surprise, Liam did actually hit the ball on the first try this time, while the blonde had barely even been watching because his hands suddenly felt as if they were on fire.

“Thanks.” Liam’s smile was mind blowing as he turned around, they stared at each other for a second or two, standing kinda way too close to even be considered a mistake and then Niall had to actually force himself to take a step back, blinking about a hundred times in a row. 

“Right… good job. Should we move on?” Fuck, he was never gonna tell Harry about any of this.

They had to wait on Liam’s bodyguard for a moment, who had to end the phone call first that apparently neither of them was allowed to hear and his facial expression had still remained the same when he came back, even as Liam asked whether everything was alright. Actually, he didn’t even get an answer and apparently that was normal between them.

Niall felt really antsy and nervous all of a sudden, he really had no idea whether Liam was simply having fun making him blush and throwing around inappropriate comments because he wanted to or because he was actually and truly flirting with the blonde. But then again, why would he do that? He was crazy rich and more importantly, he had thought Niall was _eighteen_ and who even knew how old Liam was.

“Why have you gotten so quiet all of a sudden?” The brunette finally spoke up again when they were already at the next stop, it was kinda getting late by now and they’d have about an hour left before it would get too dark. 

“I’m not, just… you’ve figured out how to do it, so… “ That was a big, fat lie, Liam was still kinda horrible at it, but it also seemed like he wasn’t really trying, AGAIN holding the golf club in the wrong way. “I mean… you could move that left hand a bit down, but… “

“Look, Niall. We all know I’m never gonna be able to properly play.” What? 

“Don’t say that, you… you just gotta, um… practice and then… “ Then maybe he’d become a bit less terrible at it. Great, now Niall felt really bad, even though Liam was still smirking and seemingly amused by his own lack of talent. 

“I don’t even like golf, I just came because my dad wanted me to. He bought me personalized everything and then he even went to pick out a trainer for me, which happened to be you. But I honestly couldn’t care less about golf, so don’t worry about it, it isn’t your fault.” Was Liam being serious right now?!

“I… I never thought it was _my_ fault.” Why would it be Niall’s fault if Liam was bad at golfing, he was simply afraid that his dad would think otherwise and kick his butt. 

“Well, someone’s confident in their skills, huh?” Liam had completely given up on playing, he had an eyebrow raised at Niall now, a crooked smile on his lips and the blonde was starting to feel hot again, already regretting what he had said. It’s just… it was so damn hard to be professional around this guy! “Don’t worry, I won’t tell your boss that you’ve been touching me inappropriately the whole time and indirectly told me I’m a hopeless case.”

“I… I didn’t.” Alright, he was better joking right now or Niall would be dead before sunset. “I was just trying to help you and… and anyways, I… I wouldn’t even _want_ to touch you inappropriately, just so we’re clear and… and it’s my obligation as a teacher to-“

“Really? You wouldn’t want to?” Oh fuck.

“No, definitely not.” Definitely YES. “So what I was trying to say before you interrupted me, it’s my obligation as a teacher to make sure you know that you could still improve upon your skill.”

“You’re cute when you talk like that, you know.” That shut Niall up promptly, he could even feel his ears getting hot now as he quickly looked away from Liam’s intense stare. What was even wrong with him, he didn’t know this guy and sure, he was really damn attractive, but… that was no reason for Niall to act like that. “I’m sorry, that was really inappropriate. Won’t happen again, I promise. So, am I still holding it wrong?”

“Um… “ He was, completely, and also, his smirk had gotten absolutely cocky and arrogant now and Niall wanted to slap him across the face but at the same time he really also wanted to get his hands all over that guy’s body and the fact that Liam seemed be reading him like an open book was frustrating as hell. “No, you’re fine.”

As Liam kept on practicing half-heartedly, Niall couldn’t help but wonder whether he had unknowingly initiated this whole situation. He had definitely been staring at Liam way too much, and had been touching him without even asking whether it was alright and then he had almost forgotten to let go again. Plus, he had practically rubbed it into the other man’s face that he was definitely off age and… oh god, he had made a complete fool of himself.

There were some more comments from Liam’s side that Niall tried to ignore, pretending that he was pissed off when in reality, he was simply embarrassed and feeling slightly intimidated by how hot the other guy was. Who was definitely aware of all of this, because he did come off as a little bit apologetic when he suggested they should probably get back before it would be starting to get dark. God, Niall had never been so eager to end a training session before. 

“Umm… you still know where the lockers are?” Trying to somehow keep up a façade as if they hadn’t just spent two and a half hours on the golf course making inappropriate comments, Niall almost felt over confident now that they had gotten back to the main building, he just wanted get his things and get home and forget that this day had ever happened.

“I think so, yeah. If you come with me I’ll give you your tip.” Oh god, why did he have to say that?

“I… I don’t need any, thanks.” Niall’s boss would have killed him if he had been around, but it was literally just the two of them and Liam’s bodyguard, whose neutral facial expression still hadn’t cracked.

“I’m afraid I must insist, Niall.” The way he said Niall’s name almost gave the blonde a stroke, he made the mistake of meeting Liam’s eyes once more, again being captivated by that smile. “C’mon, my dad would kill me if he found out I didn’t give you any.”

“I… alright.” Niall didn’t mention that Liam could have just left it at the counter, put it into the tip jar that had Niall’s bloody name on, and he hated himself with how much he really just wanted to go and spend a few more minutes around Liam, breathe in his intoxicating cologne, embarrass himself some more. 

“You’re fine here, Paddy, I’ll be out in a second.” It sounded casual as Liam made his bodyguard wait by the door that led to the lockers, Niall honestly didn’t think anything of it, which probably had been dumb as it occurred to him as soon as Liam had closed the door behind them. Right, now they really were all alone. 

“You really don’t have to give me anything.” The blonde tried again, not wanting to add that Liam was practically paying for nothing because he hadn’t gotten anything out of those two and a half hours and would probably still not be able to hit a golf ball at the first try. Or even the second.

The brunette didn’t answer, he was just going through his stuff while Niall was awkwardly waiting in front of some other lockers, biting his thumbnail and hoping his heart would calm down as he watched Liam’s muscle’s flex underneath his shirt, the tiny bit of sweat that had made his hair a bit damp, the way his pants- “’m sorry, I don’t think I have any cash on me.”

“Oh, that’s fine, you know, I’m just gonna… go and-“

Before Niall could do as much as take a step and get out of here, there suddenly was a hand wrapped around his wrist, keeping him right where he was, his heart literally skipping ten beats at once as he swallowed thickly. Had Liam even been checking his wallet? “But I can’t just let you go without giving you anything.”

“You… you can, it’s… it’s no problem at all, I… barely anyone ever, uh… gives me any tip, I… I mean your dad did give me, um, quite a bit, but… that was probably a mistake and… “ The fact that Liam stepping closer, just nodding along to Niall’s ramble as if it was somehow important, caused the blonde to stumble even more over his own words. “I’d understand if… if he wants it back now that… now that you didn’t really, uh… learn all that much and-“

“Niall?” Liam interrupted him, his voice having gotten deeper, thumb pressing into Niall’s skin, having stepped so close by now that Niall’s back was hitting the lockers with a thump all of a sudden. This… this couldn’t be happening, could it? “Shut up, alright?”

And before Niall could prepare himself, before he could pinch himself to confirm that he was definitely not dreaming, that he wasn’t having hallucinations, the other man leaned in even further, the smile now having disappeared from his lips, and instead his eyes were flattering closed and Niall’s head was pressing into the lockers.

He didn’t kiss Niall without waiting for a moment, even letting go of the blonde’s wrist, as if he was trying to give him a chance to pull away and leave if he wanted to, but… god knows, Niall would have _killed_ to make out with this man. So it was him in the end, who couldn’t take the anticipation, who threw his arms around Liam’s neck and just pressed their lips together impatiently, locking away any worries about the consequences.

For the split of a second, Niall had the upper hand, but Liam was quick to put him back into his place, hands settling hard on the blonde’s hips, Niall’s head again meeting the lockers, a little bit more uncomfortably this time, but he barely had any time to think about it because Liam’s tongue was in his mouth just a second later.

Niall didn’t care that he could have probably gotten fired for this, because in all honesty and even if he sounded like an idiot thinking this way, it would have been way worth getting fired over this. Liam was a fantastic kisser, his lips were soft and warm against Niall’s, his stubble scratching the younger’s skin burning and his tongue almost fucking into Niall’s mouth as he was kissing him deeply and hard.

It almost hurt, how tightly Liam was holding him, fingers squeezing Niall’s hips as he was crowding him against the lockers, their bodies pressed together without a millimeter of distance between them. Liam’s hands pulled Niall’s shirt out from under his belt and slipped underneath, stroking the exposed skin, momentarily making Niall think that they were just gonna hook up right here and now. But they didn’t.

Liam pulled away as quickly as he had decided to snog Niall, honestly _chuckling_ against the blonde’s lips as Niall let out an involuntary whine, already missing the feeling of Liam’s tongue in his mouth, not willing to remove his arms from around the other’s neck. “Hope that was good enough of a tip… “

“That… was sexual harassment… “ Niall whispered back, making Liam laugh out loud before he completely pushed away from the blonde, forcing him to let go, just leaving him leaning against the lockers, knees weak and heart beating fast, the regret not yet having settled in as he watched Liam getting his stuff, his lips swollen and looking even more kissable than they already had all along. How was anybody allowed to be this gorgeous?

Before Liam left, he came back one more time and Niall was almost hopeful even though the brunette already had his bag slung over his shoulder, the cocky smile having come back as he leaned in again, breath brushing Niall’s face as he attached his lips to the blonde’s cheek, not really kissing him but making him want to die. “By the way… I was joking about how young you look. See you next time.”

And yes, he left, just like that without another glance, or another kiss, he just left Niall standing there, half hard in his stupid golfing pants, clearly noticeable for anyone who could have possibly walked past. But no one did, Niall just stayed there for a few minutes, trying to catch his breath and clear his thoughts. 

The regret only came after Niall had locked himself into a bathroom, splashed cool water into his face and pulled his clothes back into his place, had talked himself out of having wank on the toilet right now. He was so fucking screwed, he had just been in the customers’ lockers, snogging a guy he had met two and a half hours ago, who had been teasing him the whole time long because Niall hadn’t been able to hide his obvious attraction towards him and… oh god, Liam had said he would come back. 

This was a disaster and Niall was up and about to just tell his boss and quit his job if it wouldn’t get him fired, but when he had finally gotten his stuff and was about to clog out, purposely ignoring all the text messages Harry had left him, his boss was already waiting for him.

Oh god, that was it, Liam had surely told on him, hadn’t ever intended to come back, had just been playing him for the fun of it and his dad was probably going to sue the whole place and Niall would have to go to court for sexual harassment and- “Horan, hey. Amazing job with Payne, he just left, wouldn’t stop saying how good of a teacher you are, he even signed a membership.”

“He… he did?” Niall suddenly felt really weak, his knees about to give in any second, still tasting Liam in his mouth. 

“Yep, great work. Also, he left you quite a bit of tip.” But… “See you on Sunday then?”

“Umm… yeah, I… see you then.” There was a pet on Niall’s shoulder that brought him a bit of a glare by one of his coworkers who had been eaves dropping, something Niall would have usually felt bad about, but he barely even noticed today.

This was absolutely ridiculous, why would this guy have been flirting with Niall? Why would he have decided he wanted to snog him in the lockers when he had met him just a few hours ago and Niall had literally done nothing besides cracking bad jokes and staring at him? Clearly, Liam was more than aware of his good looks, and the blonde would have maybe been able to do it off as Liam simply having some fun and then leaving and never coming back again.

But no, he had signed a bloody _membership_ , literally after admitting that he actually hated golf, and he had given Niall even more tip than his dad as the blonde found out when he checked the jar before leaving. This was absolutely mad and ridiculous and Harry was going to strangle Niall if he ever found out.

Which was why Niall didn’t really plan on ever telling him.

 

\-----------------

 

“How’s school going? Is everything alright over there?” Niall’s mother sounded kinda worried, maybe because Niall had taken way too long to pick up the phone, but that’s because he hadn’t been able to hear his phone going off because it was still on silent after Harry had forced him to after the 6.30 am call a few days ago. “How’s Harry?”

“He’s good, I… we both are, everything’s going fine.” Besides the fact that Niall was sitting at the bakery slash coffee shop that Harry worked at and it was only 10 am and he sometimes really hated the fact that his best friend had thought it’d be a good idea to work here. Even if Niall hadn’t come, he would have still been awake because it was Saturday and of course Harry had made a hell lot of noise when he had gotten ready to leave. 

“That’s nice, honey, I’m glad you’re doing fine. How’s work? Did they already promote you? They have to see how good you are, you practically learned how to play within a week.” That wasn’t true at all, but Niall had to smile a bit because his mum never failed to tell anyone she met that he was gonna become a golf pro. Which he probably wouldn’t, because he was almost 22 and he was still only working as a trainer, but it was fine, it was just a hobby after all.

“Mum, I like the position I’m in, it’s… it’s fun.” Except when Niall had really hot costumers who didn’t even like golf and still signed a membership and then snogged him in the locker room and simply left without another word, but that was beside the point. “Anyways, how’s… everyone else?”

“They’re all good, I mean, I haven’t really spoken to your dad or your brother, but you are calling them regularly, aren’t you?” Niall’s parents were divorced and he and his brother had never gotten along, but he knew he should have still called once a while. It’s just, he had a lot on his plate right now. “You really need to come home more often, love, and bring Harry with you as well.”

“I would, but… plane tickets are really expensive and… we both have to work and we have uni and… “ And short, Niall didn’t wanna come. He’d love to see his parents, but… his whole family lived in Ireland and though both Harry and Niall had grown up there, it had always been pretty clear to them that they were gonna go study somewhere near London when they were old enough. Also because Harry’s family had moved back to England, after having lived in Niall’s small home town since Harry had been 4 years old. 

“I know, but everyone really misses you, your grandma asks about you every day.” Great, now this was starting again, Niall tried not to roll his eyes as he listened to his mother go on and on about his grandparents, barely even acknowledging when Harry came over from the counter with two cups. There weren’t a lot of customers today, even less than usually. “What are you doing for your birthday, Ni? Maybe you can make some time to visit then, I’ll even make you a cake.”

“I… I already told Harry and a few of my friends that we would go out, sorry, ma.” Waving Harry off as the younger boy threw a questioning stare at him, Niall kept on lying a bit more, only feeling slightly bad. He couldn’t just go home if he wanted to, he could only afford even being here because he had gotten a scholarship, he couldn’t risk missing classes and then possibly have his grades dropping.

His mother tried to convince him a little bit more before Niall told her he had to do homework just so he could hang up the phone, the tea Harry had brought him having gone cold in the meantime, but at least there were still no customers in sight. “What’d she want?”

“For us to come visit, as usual.” They did go visit Niall’s family sometimes, but they had been here for a few years and they were definitely planning on staying even once they were done with uni. 

“And have your psycho brother beg me for money again? No, thanks.” It was more of a joke, but it caused Niall to sigh because… it wasn’t a lie.

“That was only one time and… he was pretty drunk.” Not THAT drunk, but it made Niall feel slightly less embarrassed if he pretended otherwise. “Anyways, I told her we have no time and money, so… “

“Well, _you_ have money, I don’t.” Oh god, now this was starting again.

“Just because I got tipped well one time doesn’t mean I’m a millionaire, Haz.” Niall was so done with this, but even more ever since he had snogged Liam in the locker room and had never even said a word to Harry about it and now it was already four days in the past and it kind of seemed more like a very weird dream in Niall’s mind. Actually, he was pretty positive he would never see Liam or his dad again and he wasn’t sad about it either, Liam was really hot, but that was it really.

“But he gave you more than you told me or you wouldn’t have been able to invite all of us last night.” It had only been four people in total and Niall agreed that that had been a poor decision, but they had all been tipsy already and he really hadn’t been thinking when he had spent some of the money Liam had given him as well. 

“Maybe I’m just better at saving up than you are.” Forcing himself to smirk, the blonde really hoped that his friend couldn’t tell just how nervous he was, his hand even slightly shaking as he took a sip of his cold tea, trying not to gag as he swallowed. “No, but seriously, I told you how much he gave me, it wasn’t a lie.”

“Then he came back, didn’t he? Was that why you had to come in on Tuesday?” Great.

“No, he… he didn’t come back.” Biting his bottom, Niall threw a quick look out of the window, silently praying for anybody to show up, but of course no one did. Harry had been asking a few times already, getting on Niall’s nerves, but the blonde had always managed to somehow talk himself out of it or pretend he had fallen asleep or they had gotten interrupted, but now… now he had no way out. 

“C’mon, Ni, just tell me, I’m your best friend.” Now Harry was trying to use those sad eyes again and the guilt tripping voice and god, would it be so bad if Niall really told him? Usually they always talked about everything and it’s not like Niall was an innocent virgin, he had had one night stands and relationships, but… this felt more extreme, even if it had just been a snog. 

“I… he didn’t come back, they just… they wanted me to come because… someone requested to have me teach them how to play.” For a moment, Harry seemed as if he was gonna call Niall a liar, but Niall’s hot cheeks probably caused him to overthink.

“Really? Who was it?” Niall was screwed.

“Um… “ Playing with his cup, Niall felt himself blushing even worse, suddenly feeling rather hot as he was once again hit with flashbacks about how it had felt to kiss Liam, how his fingers had felt underneath Niall’s shirt, his beard scratching against his face and leaving it sore. “I… I didn’t know him, he was just, uh… well… he was the, um… he was the rich guy’s son.”

“Oh. Well, you like working with kids though, right? Maybe they’ll come back and you’ll get tipped for letting some child throw around some balls.” Harry chuckled, as if any of that had actually been funny and Niall wanted to die. 

“Umm… he wasn’t… he wasn’t exactly a… child.” How old did Harry think Liam’s dad was? But then again, Niall also didn’t even know how old Liam himself was and that was maybe slightly more embarrassing. “Look, I… I’m just gonna… tell you and you can’t say anything afterwards, okay?”

“Um… okay?” There was no way Harry wouldn’t say anything and Niall was well aware of it but he liked to pretend that he wouldn’t get asked 10 million questions about it for a month straight because he wouldn’t have been able to make himself say any of it out loud otherwise.

“Alright, so… his son, he… he kinda was… older than me, I think, I didn’t really ask, but… he came with his bodyguard and… he said his dad wanted him to request me because… he thought I was, uh… good at my job or something. Anyways, he was really horrible and he never hit the ball right, but… he was kinda, uh… kinda really hot? Like… _really_ hot and… I mean, I did say some stupid stuff and then he said really weird stuff too and anyways, he, um… he kinda kissed me, in the locker room afterwards. I mean… not just kissed, but like… we snogged. And then… then he left me even more tip than his dad and… he signed a membership as well, but… I really don’t think he’s gonna come back.” Finally it was out.

There was some really uncomfortable silence following afterwards where Niall didn’t dare lifting his eyes off of the table, almost wanting to take another sip when he realized it would have probably caused him to throw right up on that table. Harry was pissed off that Niall hadn’t told him, the blonde could tell even without looking at his friends, but in all honesty… he would have turned back the time and NOT told Harry had he had the choice now that it was out.

When the younger boy did finally break the silence after the blonde had almost bitten his whole thumbnail off, it wasn’t really what Niall had expected. “That’s… kinda crazy, Ni. I mean… did you like… flirt? Or did he just… kiss you out of nowhere? Do you have his number, do you… oh my god, are you like, secretly texting and stuff?! Are you secretly dating the rich guy’s slash politician slash inventor of something hot son?!” 

“I… I’m not, we just… we just made out and… he left, I… I doubt he’s ever going to come back, I mean, he signed a membership, but he’s rich so he probably does that all the time and-“

“But what if he _does_ come back?! Oh my god, Niall… what if he’s gonna request you every single week and then you keep on making out in the lockers and he’s gonna tip you this well all the time and eventually you’ll end up a married millionaire?!” Okay, Harry was clearly insane and Niall should have never even opened his mouth and… how had Harry gotten from making out to getting married this quickly?! 

“I… I’m pretty sure I won’t, Haz. It was just one time, he… he was actually really cocky and kinda arrogant and… he was making fun of me the whole time, probably because I was staring a little bit too much at him, but… it was just a joke, I think, I mean, he was clearly at least 25 or something and he’s probably really successful and stuff, so… maybe he just needed… some time off.” And a snog with a college student, right, that made no sense either. 

“Well, whatever it was, there’s a chance he’s gonna come back, right? And then who knows what’s gonna happen, I mean… did you like him?” This was really going into a really different direction than Niall had feared, but he wasn’t really sure if that meant it was a good one. 

“I don’t know… we only spent two and a half hours together, I… he was just really hot, like… really, really hot. But… he was kind of a douche, honestly… “ Well, though that was true, it had really turned Niall on, but he wasn’t gonna say that now obviously, he was already embarrassed enough about everything he had told Harry. “Anyways, now you know what happened and… maybe we should switch the topic.”

“But it’s just getting really interesting, I can’t believe you kept this from me for four days, Ni. _Four_ days. And you haven’t been with anyone in forever anyways and hey… he’s possibly a _millionaire_.” Okay, now Harry was just taking the piss, Niall rolled his eyes as he pushed the cup of tea away from himself as he leaned back in his chair, feeling pretty relieved when he heard customers coming in that forced his friend to get up with a groan, but not before throwing a very intense glance at the blonde.

Niall barely had a minute to overthink his and Harry’s conversation because his phone was going off yet again, luckily not because his mother was calling him again this time. No, it was actually even worse because it was _boss_ and the weird feeling settling in Niall’s stomach almost kept him from picking up. 

“Um… yes, hello?” Surely this was just a mistake or maybe something really unimportant, it couldn’t be… could it? 

“Hey, Horan, just wanted to let you know that you should come in an hour earlier tomorrow, is that alright?” Well, Niall knew he didn’t really have a choice and he also didn’t really mind, however… 

“Um, yeah, of course… why though?” Normally he wouldn’t have asked, would have just done what he was told because that was his job after all, but ever since his boss had started forcing him to work with rich guys and bodyguards, he was rather being careful.

“Oh, we have a meeting and I forgot to tell you on Tuesday.” Oh, thank god, that could have ended REALLY badly.

“Right, well… see you tomorrow then.” Niall was so relieved he could have laughed, to think that he had thought Liam would ever come back again and hadn’t just been playing him for fun because he probably did it all the time and was a really huge douchebag and Niall didn’t even wanna see him ever again and-

“See you. Right, and before I forget it, Liam Payne requested you again for tomorrow, so… be on time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyy guys :D
> 
> sorry i was gone for so damn long! its been over a month since i finished my last fic, im really sorry, i hope you guys are still excited for this fic here and hopefully you enjoyed this first chapter :) i kinda have it all planned out but i might be changing things (because i ALWAYS do), so i dont wanna give away too much in the tags BUT, just to warn everyone, i plan on making this fic smuttier than my previous ones and you'll see why in a few chapters, i dont wanna give it all away!
> 
> whats important to me though is that you guys know that just because i wrote the daddy kink thing in the tags doesnt mean that nialls gonna be completely submissive to liam, this is not a fifty shades of grey story, definitely not! niall knows what he wants and he doesnt wanna be treated like a dumb child. i would never wanna write a fic where one of them is uncomfortable with whats going on, no one is getting forced into anything and theyre both just having fun! besides, the plot of the fic isnt just sex, in case anyone got the feeling that it would be :p
> 
> anyways, hope you all enjoyed and id really love if you guys would leave me some comments cos i miss talking to you all <33


	2. Chapter 2

“Hey, didn’t know you’d be here today.“ Liam was laughing right into Niall’s face as the blonde showed up, his emotions having been a complete mess for days now but especially the whole night long while he had been lying awake trying to figure out what he was going to do about this situation.

Turns out there was nothing he could do at all because this was his job and he loved his job and actually, he had also really enjoyed kissing Liam, it’s just… what was this?!

“Very funny.” Niall was really trying his hardest not to get rude when in reality, he could already feel himself blushing again upon seeing Liam, dressed even more handsome than a few days ago at their first meeting. That was going to be one long day. “Well… should we go then?”

“Yeah, I told Paddy to wait in the car, so we’re good.” Thank god there were tons of people here today or otherwise it would have been just Niall and Liam and the thought of that gave the blonde a shiver as he picked up Liam’s golfing bag, trying not to look at the other man too much. As if that was going to work. “Hope you’re not afraid when you’re all alone with me.”

“I’m not the one who has a bodyguard.” Niall mumbled, regretting it the second it was out but Liam was just laughing anyways, as if he had just come here because he found it funny to cause the blonde distress. And maybe he did, who knows, maybe he was some psycho who had just been looking for a victim to drive insane and his dad was actually his really evil companion and-

“You think it’ll be safe if I practice with all these people around? Someone might lose an eye.” Was Liam trying to be funny now? Like, what even was his deal?! 

“You’re not actually that bad, if you’d just…umm… “ Maybe actually try to play instead of making inappropriate jokes, but Niall really couldn’t say that because he was still just an employee and if Liam suddenly decided he felt like it, he could have simply gotten Niall fired just like that. 

“Are you saying I didn’t try?” If Niall hadn’t seen it with his own two eyes, he wouldn’t have believed that Liam was actually pretending to be _pouting_ and _oh god_ was he gorgeous and hot and his lips were so plush and red and his eyes so brown and Niall’s knees were about to give in any second. 

“N-No, I… I never said that, I was just, um… just… saying that, uh… I-“ 

Before Niall could finish, his mind having drifted so far away from where it was supposed to be, he actually ran right into another golf player as they stepped outside, and just as fate seemed to want it, there was a really strong hand wrapping around his upper arm, keeping him on his feet. As if Liam had just been _waiting_ to do that. “Careful.”

“Um… t-thanks.” Crap, Niall wasn’t going to survive today and it was only 11 am, he had been so distracted all night long and then during the meeting, all because of this stupid guy and if Liam really wanted to he could have stayed all damn day long and forced Niall to stay here with him and… well, technically Niall could have of course gone home once he hit his necessary hours, but… that wouldn’t really make him look very good now, would it? 

“Am I really that dazzling?” Niall gave himself two hours before he would smack Liam across the face. And then he would probably beg him to be allowed to snog him again, that’s how fucking weak he was.

The blonde didn’t answer, simply getting into the golf cart while Liam was just chuckling to himself, in a really cocky and arrogant way as well, as if that was all the confirmation he had wanted and maybe Niall staying quiet gave him exactly that satisfaction. Well, he had surely walked past a mirror once or twice in his life, that man knew what he looked like and Niall wanted to strangle him for being so damn confident about it. But even more so, he wanted to slap himself for actually and genuinely being dazzled by him and his every move. 

Because there were so many people there today, they had to go somewhere else where Niall usually only went whenever he had kids, but there was no need to tell Liam that, was there? The blonde just wanted to get through this day without swooning over Liam too much, he would just tell himself that that was surely the very last time the brunette would book him, that he was just dragging out his joke and possibly… trying to learn how to golf for real. 

“Alright, um… let’s just do it like we did it last time, you just… try hitting the ball and… “ And Niall would stare at him and pretend that Liam’s posture was perfectly fine because he was afraid he might choke and never let go if he ever touched that man again. “Anyways, here.” 

“Thanks.” Whenever Liam smiled, he had visible dimples that made Niall feel like a creep because he would have actually not hesitated just one second had he been allowed to kiss them. Honestly, there wasn’t a part of that body he wouldn’t have put his lips on and the image forming in his head actually forced the blonde to clear his throat and stare at his own shoes as he waited for Liam to yet again mess it up. “You know… my dad was really thrilled when I told him I might actually like golfing.”

“Hm.” Was all Niall could think of saying, replacing the ball that Liam had managed to maybe shoot half as far as he had been supposed to be able to do by now. 

“I mean… it’s not as bad as I thought it would be, but… it’s not really that great either. It’s kinda boring, I mean… you really did that as a child? For fun?” Okay, now he was just simply making fun of Niall, again, but the blonde wasn’t even going to react, he was just going to keep his lips sealed and stay professional. At least on the outside. “My dad would have _loved_ for me to be friends with someone like you as a kid. I mean… not that that would have worked.”

“Why?” There went Niall’s willpower to shut himself up, he just basically blurted out with it without even thinking about it, not bearing in mind that that was probably exactly what Liam had been hoping for.

“Well, first of all because I’m about 5 years older than you are, and second because I was in boarding school all my life… Ha!” For some reason, Liam did hit the ball pretty far and kinda good, but Niall had barely even paid any attention because he was now thinking about how Liam was 27 years old and for some reason, that really made him question this whole situation even more. “Did you see that?”

“Yeah, um… I did… great job… “ Very great job actually, but all Niall did was place another ball in front of Liam and then he just couldn’t bite his lip any longer. “So… you’re like… 27?”

“Yep. It was my birthday two weeks ago, actually. And you said yours is soon, right?” Why was Niall flattered that Liam had remembered that? 

“Um…. yeah, I… watch your hand.” Somehow, talking about himself to Liam was making Niall feel uncomfortable, which probably was because he knew that the other man wasn’t only older than him but was probably also super successful and smart and… there was just no reason to make a comparison between the two of them. Which was also why it made absolutely no sense at all that Liam had snogged him, and yet he had. 

“So what are you gonna do on your birthday? Your boss said you’re in university, right?” Had he really remembered everything about Niall?

“Yeah, I… I’ll probably just… have a drink with my best mate and… “ And work. Niall did have work that day, but something kept him from saying it out loud, kept him from letting Liam know that if he did decide to come back, there was a possibility they’d actually be spending Niall’s birthday together. 

“Sounds good. So what university do you go to?” For once, Liam actually sounded genuinely interested, they weren’t looking at each other, but the older’s voice had gotten somehow softer, there was no mocking tone to it anymore and for a minute, Niall managed to relax. 

“’s not a good one or well known, so… did you, uh… did you go to uni?” Well, that question was kinda dumb, wasn’t it? He had been in boarding schools, his dad was forcing him to learn how to play golf, he had surely pushed him to go to some really prestigious university and get straight A’s.

“I did. Oxford.” And apparently his dad had also put Liam in the best university to exist. Right, there went Niall’s small glimmer of confidence. “Hey… is it just me or are the only people practicing here besides me kids?”

“Um, I… I mean, yes, but… that’s just because… because there isn’t that much space anywhere else.” Well, they could have driven further, but then they would have literally been ALL alone and probably also out of sight and… not a good idea. 

“And because I play like a child?” When their eyes met after what seemed like forever, Liam was smiling and Niall was blushing like crazy, yet again, somehow embarrassed that he had asked Liam personal information and at the same time had given some about himself. 

“No, you don’t, you… “ He was actually worse, but… Niall wasn’t gonna say that, even if it would have just made Liam laugh anyways since he obviously didn’t care one bit if he was good at golfing or not. It would have still been kinda rude though. “We… we could go somewhere else, if you… want to.”

At first, Niall didn’t even realize how wrong this had sounded, it only occurred to him when Liam pulled up his eyebrow and smirked, lowering his golf club a little bit. Niall suddenly felt a really great urge to just run and never come back again. “We definitely could go somewhere else… somewhere without this many under aged kids watching us.”

“I… there’s, uh… the golf course is pretty big and… and we could go to some holes that are, um… a bit more difficult and…” And then Niall could get a shovel and dig up his own grave there.

As if Liam hadn’t just tried to get Niall to do god knows what with him, the brunette didn’t miss one single beat, as if it had also been his intention to simply try another space, the expression on his face saying something very different though. “Sounds good. Let’s go.”

There was a part in Niall that made him hate himself for not having agreed to that undoubtedly inappropriate thing Liam had been implying, for not having flirted right back. Then again, he knew that he couldn’t have done that without any regrets, he knew that he couldn’t just… go to the bathroom with this really attractive guy that he barely even knew and let him do anything he wanted to him. Not only would it have been inappropriate as hell, it would have also made Niall very, very vulnerable.

He didn’t know what Liam’s intentions were, had no idea who that guy even actually was or what he wanted from him. Besides, Liam had probably just been joking, just because he had snogged Niall once didn’t mean he’d actually do it again or that he wanted to go further and it made the blonde feel really stupid for just thinking that he might.

Liam was literally 27 years old and he had been at Oxford and he seemed like he really had his life together and completely figured out and also, he looked like his body and face had been carved by gods. There was no way Niall would ever go further with him, or snog him ever again, from now on, this was a completely professional relationship. Or something similar at least.

It wasn’t Niall’s fault, that they went further away than he had intended, but they still had the whole day and there were people everywhere, so… it’s not like he had a choice, right? Besides, Liam was the customer, and if he wanted something then Niall wasn’t to disagree, even if that meant that he would be having an even harder time keeping it together. 

The worst part about all of this was actually that Niall knew once this day was over, after god knows how many hours, he would come back to his dorm room and Harry would be there waiting, probably with a pen and notepad so he wouldn’t forget any detail he wanted to ask Niall about Liam. Niall would have liked to believe that he would have not told his best friend about any of this had he not been present at the time the blonde had gotten the call. The truth was though, he pretty much told Harry everything and he didn’t know whether it made his life easier or harder. 

“It’s kinda really beautiful out here.” Liam suddenly said once they got out of the golf cart, they hadn’t been talking on the way here, mostly because Niall had had no idea what to say and also because the older man had been on his phone doing whatever. Not that it should have mattered, but the somewhat serious expression on his face had gotten Niall kinda worried. 

“Yeah… “ Was all Niall could think of as he wordlessly handed Liam a golf club, internally hating himself for having brought them here, near the artificial lake, that would undoubtedly be filled with 30 more golf balls in a few minutes. Liam was just so bad at golfing, it would have physically hurt Niall had he not been so busy thinking about other stuff. 

“Right. I’m gonna do really well this time, you’ll see.” There was a wink that Niall only caught by accident, but of course it made him blush terribly much as he stepped back a little, out of Liam’s reach. “Are you still afraid I’m gonna hit you? I’ve never even come close.”

“No, I… I know, I just… “ Making some unnecessary hand movement, Niall simply cleared his throat before deciding to just drop it, again staring at his own shoes while Liam just chuckled, as if everything coming out of his mouth was so damn funny that it needed to be followed by laughter. 

“I swear I’ve got it now, I’ll prove it you.” Of course though, seconds later, Liam had still not managed to hit the ball and when he did, he had somehow even become worse at it than before. “… well, maybe next time then.”

Just as Niall had been about to place another golf ball in front of the brunette without saying a word about his inability to actually listen and use the tips the blonde had given him, Liam pulled up the sleeves of his shirt a bit and Niall almost hadn’t caught the flash of black on the older’s skin. Seeing as the blonde hadn’t embarrassed himself enough, he found himself staring at the half hidden tattoos on Liam’s arm, both arms actually, for a moment forgetting that he wasn’t being very subtle about it. 

“Are you trying to figure out how long ago my rebellious phase was?” Liam promptly caught Niall off guard, he was grinning though as the blonde looked up, hating himself for not even managing two minutes without doing or saying something dumb.

“Um… no, I was actually just… wondering what the rest looks like.” Had Liam had a rebellious phase? Or was he just messing with Niall? 

“Well, I could show them to you, but then I’d have to take my shirt off and we’re kinda out here in the open and I don’t just show them to anybody, but… I mean, if you wanted to _really_ see them then…” Oh god, when would he stop implying, or more like _offering_ Niall to go somewhere private with him, this was fucking outrageous. 

“I… I think I can… I can live without knowing.” The blonde decided rather quickly, again making Liam laugh and watching his face light up, as if he was genuinely amused, caused Niall’s stomach to turn into twists. If he knew it was right to decline, then why did he really want to agree just to see what would happen?! 

“Well, you can always change your mind, it’s going to take _months_ before I can even dream about becoming a decent player.” What?!

“You… you really… you intend on coming back?” Niall was aware that this had been beyond rude and that his voice had gotten kinda high pitched and Liam pulled up his eyebrows with a smirk, suddenly taking a step closer, his cologne immediately filling the blonde’s nose, causing him to freeze on the spot. Oh god. 

“What do you think I got a membership for? And personalized golf gear? Besides, if I go somewhere else I might end up with a really boring trainer that doesn’t accept kisses for a tip.” That was it, the last fucking straw, Niall was going to punch Liam in his perfect and gorgeous face and then he was going to sue him for sexual harassment and anyways, Liam HAD left him a tip, he was just saying it now to embarrass him even more and-

And before Niall could even finish that thought, Liam had already reached out for him, literally causing the blonde’s heart to stop and his blood to go cold as he brushed his thumb over Niall’s bottom lip, holding his chin for just a moment before smiling, leaving the younger boy hanging with just that. Fuck, Niall had never even thought that Liam would come back after that snog, but he had especially not thought that the brunette would even _acknowledge_ what had happened and now… now he wouldn’t stop implying that he wanted to do it again and Niall was going insane. 

“Also, if my dad does end up forcing me to be in his golf magazine, I promise I’ll let you watch the photoshoot.” What the HELL was Liam talking about?! Now his father owned a magazine as well? And what photoshoot?! Oh god… was Liam a model or something?!

“You… you wanna learn how to golf so you can… _model_ in a magazine?” Honestly, Niall wasn’t even trying to hold back anymore, Liam was still standing way too close and the blonde was really afraid he’d touch him again and cause him to pass out. Which would probably end with Liam carrying him back just to make fun of him. 

“No, but my dad thinks since I’m learning how to golf now, it’d be a good idea.” Liam actually sounded kind of thoughtful for a moment, almost as if he was hesitating, as if he hadn’t really even meant to tell Niall all of that, but his cocky smile had come back before the blonde could even really think about it. “Don’t be too hopeful though, they usually airbrush the tattoos.”

“… usually?” Niall was shoveling his own grave right now and he was aware of it but he couldn’t fucking stop, he wanted to ask Liam so many things just to hear him talking and watch his mouth move because it was quite captivating. 

“Yeah, sometimes I model clothes. Or just for magazines to go with the interview.” _Interviews_?! Niall was getting really dizzy all of a sudden. “Hey… are you alright? You’re a bit pale.”

“I’m fine, I… I just… “ Niall was just really worried about his sanity during the next few months.

“Maybe you should drink something, I got some water, if you-“

“No. I… I mean… no, thanks, I… I think you should, um… practice some more.” For just a moment, Liam had actually sounded worried, but Niall didn’t care one bit, he would have rather died than drink out of Liam’s water bottle because just putting his lips where the older man’s had been would have probably been enough to cause his knees to give in. Shit, Liam was probably working with his dad or something, they probably owned some really big company or something, and apparently owned a golf magazine too, AND had invented something AND his dad was also somehow involved with politics and Liam was a model and yet he was here making inappropriate jokes to a college student and Niall just wanted to go home and lie down for a minute. 

Though Liam seemed hesitant, he did practice some more as Niall had suggested, commenting every single one of his tries but the blonde was barely even listening. Suddenly the idea of helping Harry finding out about this family seemed very appealing to Niall. Of course he could have just asked Liam, but he would have probably told Niall he could only tell him if the blonde got on his knees right now and sucked him off in the middle of the golf course.

What was wrong with Liam anyways? Was he like a sex addict or something? Or why else would he be trying to get Niall to hook up with him? Maybe he was just joking, but that would have been a really weird sense of humor, what would he have done if Niall had said yes? And why did the blonde want to find out the answer to that question so desperately?

Hours passed by like that, Niall tried to keep it together, failing only a few times, but Liam behaved for the most part, or at least he seemed to actually try as well. To be fair, his golfing skills seemed to actually get even worse with time and the blonde had no idea what to say to that. He did feel kinda bad because apparently Liam really wanted to either impress or please his dad for some reason, but… he was definitely not going to achieve that goal anytime soon. Not with golfing at least. 

“I could really need a bathroom break.” It had kinda gotten warmer, not warm enough for Liam to pull up his sleeves even higher, but Niall told himself that he didn’t even care anyways. 

“Sure, uh… there’s one up there.” Actually, it was kinda hard to see it from where they were standing and Niall gave Liam the benefit of the doubt for pretending not to see it, taking a deep breath that he hoped had been quiet. “I’ll show you.”

They left everything standing because it didn’t really matter, they weren’t gonna get robbed here and besides, nobody was even sight and that really said something. Niall made sure though to walk a few steps in front of Liam, painfully aware of the brunette’s stare though even though he never turned around to check whether he was even following him.

The bathrooms they had on the golf course were really nice, probably to draw in customers like Liam, and Niall couldn’t help the inappropriate thoughts sneaking into his mind. But Liam probably really just needed to use the toilet, he had emptied that bottle of water half an hour ago and Niall had actually regretted never having been offered another sip again. Not that he would have said yes, just…

“I’ll just… I’ll wait out here.” Niall decided, getting a bit of a funny look from Liam as the older man pushed against the door and disappeared, giving the blonde a few minutes to try and relax.

He really wanted to call Harry for some reason, and ask him what he was supposed to do, tell him what was going on, but… Liam could have come back any second and also, Harry would have probably gotten Niall more confused than he already was to begin with. Also, he would have possibly told Niall to go after Liam and try to get into his pants, so… better not.

The problem was though, Niall was kinda really thirsty, he hadn’t had a drink in what seemed to be hours and it didn’t seem like Liam would wanna go back anytime soon, so… what choice did Niall have? Just because he went in there didn’t mean he wanted anything from Liam, right? He just wanted to drink some water out of the tap, which maybe was kinda unhygienic and weird, but… who knew when they’d pass a bathroom again.

Of course Niall could have waited for Liam to come outside, but the part in him that was very tempted to give in to all of Liam’s indirect offers made him go inside while the older man was still in there as well. Niall really tried to come off as natural as possible, it’s just… was there even still a reason to? When Liam had been reading him like an open book the second they had met?

Unfortunately, or maybe not, Liam was already by the sink washing his hands. He didn’t look up immediately, which gave Niall a second or two to look at the older man without him knowing, watched him fixing his hair briefly before his eyes already settled on the blonde’s face, the smirk immediately coming back. Great.

“Couldn’t wait to see me again, huh?” Did he ever run out of smart ass remarks? Apparently not.

“I just… I’m thirsty.” Niall blurted out, trying to pretend that he hadn’t noticed how that had sounded, well aware of Liam’s stare as he leaned over the sink with a bright red face so he could get a drink. He only realized now that he was literally in here and actually doing it just how much this looked like a weak excuse, as if he had really wanted to just see Liam.

“You could have had some of my water, you know.” Liam threw in while watching Niall as the blonde drank for way longer than he even wanted to, simply because he felt too embarrassed to stand up straight again and be forced to look Liam in the eye.

“’m good, thanks.” Wiping over his mouth with the back of his hand after turning the water off, Niall was pretty sure he had never regretted anything as much as what he had just done in his entire life. “Anyways, um… should we go back?”

He expected Liam to just laugh at him and say yes, just because he always seemed to laugh at Niall, but for some reason, the brunette didn’t even move, he was just standing there, staring at Niall with this weird expression on his face and that grin that seemed to be permanent. This couldn’t mean anything good. “Well… if you’re _asking_ me… “

It was too late. Niall realized that the second Liam took a step closer towards him, causing his eyes to widen and goosebumps to rise all over his body, his mind almost instantly blocked. He couldn’t… he couldn’t be doing this again, could he? Niall hadn’t thought that Liam had been serious, that he would actually… try and make a move on the blonde once they were alone. Why… why the hell would he do that?!

“You know… “ Liam started, his voice having gotten a bit more quiet, less mocking, but he still sounded very amused, maybe because of the fact that Niall was just standing there like an unmoving ice block, not doing anything to stop any of this from happening. “Those golfing clothes really suit you.”

“… what?” Niall had no idea what was going on, why Liam was suddenly making him compliments, all he knew was that he flinched just the tiniest bit as the older man reached out for him as stepped even _closer_ , leaning in so far that Niall couldn’t smell anything but him, could feel the brunette’s breath on his skin. 

There was never an answer to Niall’s half whispered and half choked out question, Liam just hesitated for a moment before softly grabbing Niall’s chin between his thumb and forefinger, brushing his bottom lip and pulling it down a bit as he leaned in so close that Niall’s eyes almost shut automatically.

“Can I?” Liam whispered, asking for permission, this time out loud, and Niall did note that in the back of his head, that the brunette wasn’t doing anything against Niall’s will, so he really had no excuse. He was letting this happen, he wanted Liam to kiss him so badly right now that he felt tight heat coiling in his stomach, the anticipation almost killing him as he breathed in Liam’s intoxicating scent.

“Yeah… “ It sounded nothing like Niall, the word that just fell out without him even noticing, but luckily there was little time for regret because the next thing the blonde knew were Liam’s lips pressed against his for the second time.

This was different than days ago, where Liam had been crowding him against the lockers, it was slower and the older’s hand remained against Niall’s face, just cupping his cheek now and his free arm wrapped around the blonde’s waist, pulling him in closer until their bodies were pressed against one another.

Niall had immediately switched his brain off the second that Liam’s mouth had landed on top of his, not even really noticing his arms wrapping around the brunette’s neck once more, his jaw somehow relaxing all by itself as his lips parted underneath the pressure of Liam’s tongue. His taste was so familiar somehow after only one time of snogging, but Niall felt himself relaxing at an instant almost, the noise coming from the back of his throat would have maybe embarrassed him had he been aware of it.

Literally anyone could have come bursting in here and just seen them, snogging in the middle of the bathroom, Liam’s hand once again sneaking its way underneath Niall’s shirt, fingers brushing against his skin and causing his body to arch even more into Liam’s, holding on even tighter, somehow wanting to be closer even though that was hardly possible.

Kissing Liam like this, his tongue stroking Niall’s, exploring his mouth, his soft palm against the blonde’s face, it suddenly seemed kinda ridiculous to Niall that he had ever planned on declining Liam. While they were in here snogging, it almost seemed natural and it felt so amazing that Niall never even wanted to stop again. 

Honestly, he had never been with anyone who was as bloody attractive as Liam and such a phenomenal kisser and maybe they didn’t know each other at all but it honestly never even occurred to Niall that maybe they shouldn’t have been doing this. In fact, when Liam made a movement as if he was about to pull away, all Niall could do was whine, immediately moving with him just so he could keep their mouths pressed together.

There was a chuckle coming from Liam that was the only sound besides their heavy breathing and their spit slicked lips meeting again and again. By now, Niall was pretty sure that his knees would have actually just given in had Liam not been holding him upright, keeping him close. So close in fact that Niall barely even noticed that Liam turned them around somehow, the hand underneath Niall’s shirt slowly withdrawing as it slid deeper.

When Niall’s lunges were already burning from lack of air and he still didn’t want to pull away, he slowly became aware of Liam’s hand on his arse, and then his second one as well, not really doing anything though except for keeping them there. Well, that was until they slid even further down and before the blonde could prepare himself, Liam had somehow managed to lift him up by the back of his thighs, just like that, causing their mouths to slip off of on another for just a second as he lifted Niall to sit on the sink. 

“Liam… “ Niall finally brought out, not being able to keep himself from breathing in harshly as he realized just how dizzy he had gotten. 

“Hm?” Was all Liam made, he was standing in between Niall’s legs now, hands having settled on Niall’s hips, squeezing him, his mouth still barely brushing the blonde’s, their noses touching. 

This was going too far, Niall was very well aware of that, but he knew that if Liam had now suggested that they go further, he wouldn’t have stopped him. Hell, he would have done _anything_ to get the older’s approval right now, just so he could get to touch him some more, leave his fingers clenched in the brunette’s hair, run them up and down his biceps. 

Instead of doing anything to stop this form escalating though, Niall simply tilted his head a little bit more so he could kiss Liam some more and the older man complied easily, mouth immediately opening, giving the blonde access to what he wanted. 

They didn’t kiss for as long as before though, mostly because they were both panting by now and when Liam pulled away, he gently bit down onto Niall’s bottom lip, causing the younger boy to let out an involuntary moan that Liam apparently enjoyed. “You’re so eager…”

Niall really had no answer for that, because it was probably true. Had Liam started undressing him right now, he would have helped him, would have immediately gotten onto his knees for him even if he would have probably regretted it for the rest of his life. There was just something about Liam, something so intriguing, and it weren’t just his looks or the stupid comment or the cocky smiles and the random snogging sessions. It was something else that Niall couldn’t put his finger on. 

For a moment, they stayed like this, just breathing against one another, still holding on, and Niall almost felt blissful, breathing Liam in, his sweet scent, tasting him in his mouth, feeling his skin burning in the most pleasurable way from wherever Liam had been touching him. For a moment there, he thought they would actually go further, thought he would honestly hook up with an almost stranger in an unlocked bathroom.

But then suddenly, there were voices outside and it only took the split of a second for them to pull apart and for Niall to jump off of the sink, well aware of his probably extremely flushed face and swollen lips, resembling Liam’s. They didn’t speak a word to one another, couldn’t even look at each other as they made sure to walk out of the bathroom, almost colliding with two other golf players that barely even took notice of them.

When they walked back to the golf cart next to each other, Niall waited for the humiliation to settle in, the embarrassment and regret, but when Liam suddenly put his arm around the blonde’s shoulder, only for a moment, and pulled him in a bit closer as he chuckled to himself, Niall couldn’t help but smile. “You really need to work on being more quiet, you know.”

For some reason, Niall felt like it sounded like a promise. One that should have made him want to pull away and tell his boss that he never wanted to work with Liam again or maybe quit his job altogether and forget that any of this had ever happened, but instead, it got him excited.

 

\-------------

 

They never talked about it, not really. Liam just picked up where he had left off, continuing to tease Niall throughout the day, and it was almost like that snog had never even happened. Except it had, and whenever Niall thought about it he could feel himself getting hot and cold at the same time and it was really hard to hide and keep appropriate distance to Liam. 

When the brunette decided that he should probably get going, they had spent so many hours together that Niall had already lost count a long time ago, somehow feeling the tiniest bit disappointed for some reason even though he tried his hardest to overplay it. He shouldn’t be unhappy about Liam leaving, shouldn’t be unhappy about getting to go home after working extra hours and basically being stuck in this place the whole day long.

It hadn’t felt like working though, not really, and even less ever since they had been snogging. They barely knew each other of course, but somehow Niall did wanna know Liam, even if he knew that it wasn’t a good idea at all, that nothing about this situation was normal and that it could possibly end very, very badly. And yet the blonde couldn’t help feeling just a little bit excited about Liam coming back. 

“So, um… see you… next time then?” Niall asked once they had gotten back to the main building, trying not to sound hopeful. More as if he would really hate for Liam to come back, which wasn’t the case at all of course. God, he hadn’t even known that side about himself before he had met this man and it was kinda exciting but also really, really scary, to be so drawn to someone he didn’t even know, be ready to do anything if that person only just said one word.

The thing was, Liam didn’t answer, he just chuckled and because no one seemed to be around, he wasn’t hesitating to reach out, ruffling Niall’s hair as if he was a child or something and leaving him standing just like that, without even the hint of kissing his cheek like he had done last time. For some reason, that really bothered Niall as well.

He felt just a little bit annoyed as he went to get changed and get his backpack, relieved when he didn’t meet any of his coworkers or his boss on the way to clogging out, not bothering to check his tip jar this time. Niall had no idea what he was going to tell Harry when he got home, there were like ten billion messages on his phone because he had been gone for so much longer than usually and they were all from his best friend telling him he was going to call the police if Niall didn’t answer soon. 

Walking outside, Niall barely paid attention to his surroundings, he was busy texting back Harry and trying to calm him down, barely walking down the street for a few seconds before he suddenly heard a voice saying his name, almost causing him to stumble over his own feet and into a street light. 

“You need a ride home?” It was Liam, of course it was him, across the street, leaning against the most expensive looking car Niall had ever seen. Even worse, Liam had changed his clothes, he was now wearing a button up, sleeves pushed up and so many buttons undone that Niall wondered why he had even bothered closing just a few of them. God, he was so hot.

“I… I usually take the bus.” Niall couldn’t even think straight seeing the older man like that, with so much of his chest exposed, chest hair on full display and even his tattoos, which the blonde couldn’t really see across the street though. There was no way Liam was even real, that any of this was real, maybe Niall had fallen into a coma a few days ago and his mind was just making all of this up or something. 

“Well, not today. C’mon.” The brunette didn’t even leave Niall a choice and to be honest, he didn’t even _want_ to have a choice and that was maybe the worst part.

His feet seemed to be walking across the street all by themselves, heart hammering in his chest as he tried to take a few deep breaths without Liam noticing. If anyone of his coworkers or boss had seen him right now they would have surely been pissed off, for taking unprofessional to a new level, but Niall just couldn’t help it.

“You, uh… you really don’t have to.” Once Niall was standing in front of Liam, he was hit with an even stronger wave of his cologne that he must have put on when he had changed his clothes. So now he smelled incredible and he looked like a Greek god and Niall had clothes on that he had already been wearing yesterday and hadn’t had a shower yet either. Great. 

“I want to though, I really didn’t have any cash today so I thought that’s the least thing I can do.” Liam winked in the most charming way possible, smiling so gorgeously at Niall that the blonde needed embarrassingly long to realize that the brunette had opened the door of his car for him. “I promise I won’t kidnap you.”

“I… I wasn’t thinking you… you would.” Actually, Niall wasn’t really thinking anything at all except that Liam looked so fucking good that he wanted to die. 

He did get in the car, his movements feeling kinda robotic, even more so once he was sitting down and Liam closed the door for him, leaving him alone for just a few seconds as he walked around the car. The seats were made of leather and it smelled like someone had just cleaned the whole inside of the car, everything seemed untouched and as if Niall was the very first person to ever sit in it. 

“Um… that’s a really nice car.” Niall blurted out as soon as Liam had gotten into the driver’s seat, again moving the air and filling it with his cologne. 

“Thanks. I’ve only gotten it recently.” Probably for his birthday that he had talked about hours ago, but then again, he could have surely afforded it himself as well, even if he still hadn’t even told Niall what it was that he was doing for a living. “Hope you don’t mind it’s just us, I texted Paddy to get someone to pick him up hours ago.”

“No, I… I don’t mind.” Not at all. 

When Liam had put on his seatbelt and started the car, Niall couldn’t help that his eyes first got stuck on the man’s profile as he tried to navigate the car out of the parking spot, and then when he realized he was being creepy, he instead stared at Liam’s hands gripping the steering wheel but being forced away to turn his head away when he realized just how inappropriate his thoughts were suddenly getting. Liam really did have nice hands though, and also, his tattoos that Niall finally got a glimpse on suited him really well too, giving him just the hint of a kind of bad boy image that didn’t really go with the picture Niall had of him.

“Where’s your uni? Or do you live at home?” Right, obviously Liam didn’t know where Niall lived, the blonde hadn’t even thought about that he was simply trusting an almost stranger to drive him home and show him where his dorm was, but… was it wrong to trust Liam like that? 

“No, I share a dorm with my best friend, I… just go straight ahead, I’ll tell you when to change the lane.” Niall quickly decided he would make Liam drop him off in front of the building next to his dorm, just in case, so he could tell himself that he hadn’t completely lost his mind yet. “It’s uh… about half an hour away by bus, so… but there’s a lot of traffic usually… “

“That’s fine, I have nothing else to do for the rest of the day anyways.” Actually, Liam seemed quite happy with what Niall had said and the blonde tried not to get too excited about it because he really did NOT want to be excited, but… he couldn’t help it sometimes when he was around this man. “What’s your best friend like?”

Surprised by that question, Niall didn’t think about being embarrassed for once, he was holding his backpack in his lap, playing with the zipper as he decided not to overthink this question. Sometimes Liam would ask him these things, like really personal ones, and he’d actually sound kinda interested for some weird reason. “He’s… he’s a really good and genuine guy but he can be kinda difficult, I guess. We’ve grown up together basically, so I’m really used to it, but he’s kinda stubborn at times and sometimes a pain in the arse when I’m trying to fall asleep and I’m sure he would say the very same about me, but… he’s like my brother.”

“Do you have real siblings then?” How had Liam so quickly found the one topic Niall hated the very most?

“Umm… I do. I have an older brother, but… we don’t see each other a lot, he… he lives in Ireland.” Right, maybe Niall shouldn’t have said that, since Liam hadn’t even asked and probably hadn’t wanted to know, but it just kinda slipped out. “What about you?”

“I’m an only child. But I’ve got Louis and he’s basically how you described your best friend. Except we didn’t grow up together, we met when we were like… I don’t know, twenty? He kinda… works for me.” Could this actually get any weirder?

“Oh… so… what do you… what do you do for… a living?” Niall really couldn’t hold back any longer, he just wanted to know and seeing as Liam didn’t seem to think it was inappropriate to ask Niall personal questions, why shouldn’t the blonde be allowed to do the same?

At first, Liam didn’t answer, he suddenly seemed very focused on driving and when Niall was about to apologize, the brunette did open his mouth, as if he had planned on leaving such a dramatic pause, as if he didn’t at all mind answering the question. “My dad owns a couple of really big magazines and I… well, we work together, kinda. We’ve got a company, it’s rather successful and I invented a couple of apps that have done quite well and… I handle the finances, I decide what we invest in and stuff like that and I do the modelling on the side as well, so… “

“Wow, that… sounds like a lot.” Was all Niall could say to that, he really wasn’t sure if he had misheard Liam’s dad when they had met, because he had definitely said something about being involved in something political, but Niall had asked about Liam after all, not his father. “And… you’re still able to make time for… playing golf all Sunday long?”

Liam laughed at that question, he had seemed kinda tense before but now he sounded carefree once more, meeting Niall’s eyes as he stopped at a red light, almost making the blonde regret that he had asked. “If that means I get to spend my day with a really cute golf trainer then definitely, yeah.”

Okay, Niall’s cheeks had never been this red before and that really said something after spending a whole day with Liam, he almost thought he had to choke as he quietly gave the brunette some driving directions. Surely, Liam was just joking, right? Because he loved to make fun of Niall, that wasn’t really a secret, so there was no reason for the blonde to get over confident now. “You… gotta… turn left here.”

“I think I know which uni you go to now, it’s not a bad one at all, why did you say that earlier?” Liam actually sounded serious, his tone of voice completely having changed, as if he hadn’t just implied that Niall was cute seconds ago.

“I don’t know, I…. it surely isn’t Oxford… “ Niall mumbled, again feeling embarrassed. He had felt intimidated by Liam before he had known where he had gone to university and what he did for a living, so he hadn’t really seen a reason to make the gap between their lives even bigger by admitting that he not only had a shitty paying job but also went to university that he hadn’t thought Liam or anybody else had ever heard of. 

“So? That doesn’t mean it’s a bad uni.” Liam made it sound like he was being serious and somehow Niall started to feel even more embarrassed. It’s not that he thought Liam was pitying him, but it did kinda seem like he did. “What do you wanna do when you’re done?”

“I… I don’t know yet. I always wanted to be a professional golf player, but… I guess I’m kinda too old for that now and I’m not even that good, I barely even got the job.” Which was very true, Niall had gotten a lot better ever since and also because they had been really strict when he had applied, but the blonde didn’t really feel like elaborating this any further. 

“Trust me, Niall, if my dad says you’re good then you really are. And who says you’re too old? If this is what you wanna do, you know… you should go for it.” It sounded way easier said than done, but Niall did feel the hint of a smile forming on his face as he briefly watched Liam’s profile. He was probably just saying all of this to make Niall feel better even though the younger boy didn’t need him to do that at all, but… it was still nice to hear. “Right or left?”

“Right… and then right again.” And then they would almost be there and the blonde didn’t know whether to be happy about that or sad. Facing Harry right now was actually the very last thing that Niall wanted to do at this moment but he knew that he wouldn’t have a choice either ways, it would just be getting worse the more time he spent around Liam, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to. Deep down at least, even though he was trying to tell himself that he didn’t.

They stayed quiet for a few moments and Niall tried to think of something to say or to ask but he couldn’t really get himself to open his mouth. He was really confused about this whole situation, even more confused because this possibly wouldn’t stay a 2-time thing and he really just wanted to know why Liam had been snogging him and why he actually had signed a membership and whether he genuinely wanted to learn how to play golf or whether he was just… Niall didn’t even know what. 

But he couldn’t ask those questions, could he? Their whole relationship to each other was inappropriate, but Niall really didn’t wanna risk pissing Liam off or something because he still didn’t actually know him, didn’t even know if they’d ever see each other again after today. 

When Liam stopped the car after what had felt way less than half an hour, Niall was actually about to jump right out onto the sidewalk with just a quick thank you because he really didn’t know what else to say, but then his hand was already on the door handle when Liam held him back by touching his shoulder.

“Hey, wait… “ He started and as Niall turned his head, he already knew he was going to start blushing any second. “I was gonna ask you something.”

“Um… okay?” It was probably something really inappropriate and then Liam would start laughing at him again, Niall was actually very sure it was that, waiting for the other’s façade to crack. But it never did. 

“I was thinking, since I’m not… that advanced at golfing yet“ There was a smirk that Niall didn’t really know how to place before Liam continued “I’ll probably need a lot more training. And it’s kinda a pain in the arse to call the reception all the time and ask when you work and… anyways, I was thinking maybe you could give me your phone number? And then we can… sort it out ourselves, you know.”

“Oh, I… um… sure, yeah.” Alright, that was the very least thing Niall had expected, he even forgot how to blink, not really understanding why Liam was smiling at him as he got his phone out of his pockets. 

“Great. Here, just type your number in.” When Liam handed over his phone, Niall was actually scared to drop it. It was ‘just’ and iPhone and Niall had one too, but everything Liam owned seemed kinda out of reach for Niall and impossible to replace, so he tried to be extra careful as he typed in his number before handing it back. “I’ll just text you sometime next week, if that’s alright?”

“Yeah, sure, um… of course.” Surely, Niall’s boss would be absolutely thrilled if he found out just how eager Liam was to come back and have Niall practicing with him 7 hours on a Sunday and even ask for his private phone number, but… Niall himself didn’t really know how to feel about it. “Thank you for… for driving me.”

“No problem. So, see you soon then?” He wasn’t touching Niall anymore, but the younger boy still didn’t make a move to get out of the car just yet and when Liam suddenly leaned in to kiss his cheek pretty close to the corner of his mouth, he was very glad that he had stayed for a few more seconds.

“Yeah, s-see you soon… “ There was a chuckle coming from the older man, just like Niall had expected, but he barely even heard it as he got out of the car with shaky legs and his ears feeling as if they had been stuffed by cotton, trying to restrain from touching where Liam’s lips had been pressed against him, stubble brushing against his skin. God, he was gonna kill Niall one day.

Niall made sure to walk rather quickly, not turning around even as he heard Liam’s car passing him by. Surely everyone was staring at that car whenever Liam drove somewhere and Niall probably would have too, had he not known who was sitting in it. Harry was going to be so damn angry with Niall if he didn’t tell him about any of this immediately. Then again, he would probably be mad enough that Niall hadn’t taken a picture of the car or something.

When Niall had finally fumbled the key into the door lock, he tried to mentally prepare himself, tried to think of something to say, but… there wasn’t anything coming to his mind, so he basically just bolted into the dorm room, deciding that maybe it wouldn’t even be that bad. 

Except… it kinda was. 

“Where the hell have you been?! You can’t tell me he wanted to spend a whole fucking day with you?! You could have at least texted me, you know, I was about to call the police!” It seemed like Harry had actually been sitting on his chair waiting for Niall to return, just so he could jump up the moment Niall walked in and yell at him.

“I… I can’t text you when I’m at work, you know that, Haz, I’m not allowed to use my phone, if anybody sees that I-“

“That you’re snogging your customers? You can do that and yet you can’t text your best friend and tell him that you aren’t dead?” Harry had crossed his arms in front of his chest now while Niall was rolling his eyes, still feeling blushed though as he closed the door and took off his shoes.

“I’m sorry, okay? I really am. I… I didn’t know how long I would have to stay, I… “ Niall wasn’t in the mood to have a fight, he just wanted to lie down and pluck in some headphones and hope that he would eventually fall asleep without having to overthink. Which wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, obviously.

“So… that Liam guy was there the whole time? _Seven_ hours? On a Sunday?” Hearing somebody else saying it made it even worse. 

“Yes.” Sighing, Niall walked across the room to sit on his bed, glad to see that Harry at least seemed as if he had somewhat calmed down already, his body visibly relaxed as he sat down on his own bed, opposite of Niall, looking ready to blurt out with a billion questions all at once. 

“So… what happened? Did you… oh my god, did you hook up?!” Harry already had one hand pressed in front of his mouth when Niall threw the most annoyed glance at him that he could possibly manage. Honestly, he was already way too tired from today as to even still get embarrassed. 

“Don’t be stupid, Harry, we didn’t hook up, he just… he kissed me again. But only once, and nothing else happened the rest of the time, he was just playing and I was doing my job and-“

“Wait, wait, wait. He kissed you again? And you think that that’s normal? Like… you just let it happen? Without even… questioning it?” Had Harry seen Liam, he might have understood, but then again, Niall didn’t even understand himself anymore at this point, so there was that. 

“I… I don’t know. He’s… he’s really attractive, okay? And I can’t really think when… and anyways, it’s not like… like he’s forcing me into it, I… maybe I wanted to snog him again, I don’t know, I… I’m going to ask him what he’s on about… next time.” Yeah, probably not, but Niall really liked to believe that he would.

“Next time? So you’re already sure he’s coming back? Wait, did he give you extra tip again?” Actually Harry sounded kinda hopeful this time and the blonde couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he let himself fall onto his back, closing his eyes for a moment, only feeling a little bit nervous about what he was about to say. 

“No, he… he drove me home instead.” Now that Niall really thought about it, he realized just how stupid he had been to get in a car with a stranger, but… he’d probably do it again.

“Oh my god, did he really?! That’s crazy, I… what kinda car does he drive?” Of course.

“A Lamborghini.” Niall simply answered, moving his arm across his eyes as he heard his friend gasp quietly. Was it wrong that he felt kinda proud for just a moment? That he had such wild stories to tell to his best friend when it usually was the other way around? “It was brand new too, he only just got it, I think for his birthday or-“

“How old is he?” Harry interrupted, not making a secret about what it really was that he had been wanting to know.

“Um… he said he just turned 27 two weeks or so ago.” He wasn’t THAT much older than Niall, was he? Like… it’s not like the blonde was still a child or something.

“Wow. Never thought you’d… have something like that going on, with a millionaire that’s 5 years older than you are and comes by your work once a week to snog you in the bathroom.” Well, now Harry made it sound kinda trashy, which it was, of course, but… 

“We don’t know if he’s a millionaire.” Niall was only 99% sure about that, he kinda felt an urge to google Liam again, now that he knew more about him and could possibly find him, but… that’d be really creepy, what if he mixed up something and then Liam would find out he had been stalking him next time they saw each other?!

“But he’s super rich, and good looking and I mean… there’s really only 3 options why he could be coming back all the time and request you.” Alright, now apparently Harry was an expert on the topic and Niall would have rolled his eyes at him had he not been too exhausted to open them.

“And what would those three options be?” The blonde asked without real interest, Harry was probably just going to make something up because he wanted to sound super smart and invested. 

“Well, one, he could really just want to learn how to play golf for whatever reason and happens to think you’re a good teacher. Then two, he wants to date and marry you.” Niall was already snorting at those two options, not even wanting to hear the third one, but Harry just kept going anyways. “Or three, which I think sounds most likely, he wants to be your sugar daddy.”

“Harry… just shut the hell up.” For some reason though, hearing his friend say the last thing without doing as much as laughing a little bit, sounding all serious, Niall felt his stomach twist in a really weird way and he didn’t even know why. “I’m gonna go shower.”

“And think about Liam?” The younger boy chuckled as Niall threw his pillow at him after sitting up, kinda feeling hot at the idea though.

Somehow, what Harry had said about the three options got stuck in Niall’s head until he was already in the shower and trying to think about his homework instead of Liam. As much as Niall hated to admit it, even to himself, Harry was kinda right.

Like, maybe Liam really wanted to just learn how to play golf and please his dad, but that wouldn’t explain why he liked to flirt with Niall so much, snog him in the bathroom and drive him home. Also, there was no fucking way he was going to ask Niall on a date and was coming back simply because he liked the blonde, like, Niall didn’t think he was ugly or anything, he was pretty pleased with his looks, it’s just… Liam had been this way after they had spent only 30 minutes together.

So that only left option three, which had probably just been a joke, but… what if Liam was just looking for sex? What if he found Niall was decent looking and what if he kept coming back because he wanted to please his dad BUT he also wanted to… have some fun? The sad thing was, the thought of that actually got Niall more excited than it should have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg you guys i really wasn't expecting such a positive response and so many kudos and lovely comments, thank you all so much <333 im having so much fun with this fic and im so happy you all are excited and loving it and i really hope we can keep that throughout the story! 
> 
> again thank you so much, i hope you all enjoyed this chapter as well and dont worry, things are going to become a lot hotter soon ;)
> 
> love you all!


	3. Chapter 3

“I still can’t believe he’s like… texting you and stuff. Does your boss even know how close you guys are?” Harry sounded more annoyed than interested, but it really wasn’t Niall’s fault because he hadn’t done anything at all except for texting Liam back during class, hoping that his professor wasn’t going to notice. 

“No, I mean… I would tell him if he asked me. But we aren’t even close, we only talk about when I have work so we can practice.” Actually, almost three weeks had passed ever since Liam had asked for Niall’s number and driven him home, they had spent two more days together ever since, which… have gone almost exactly like the other two times before.

There had been a lot of teasing and jokes, also some more snogging, but only once because the last time, they actually hadn’t really touched at all and Niall had tried to be relieved, had tried not to care, but the truth was… he cared a whole lot. Not that Liam had somehow changed his behavior, he was still asking weirdly personal questions and implying that he wanted to get into Niall’s pants and the blonde still had no idea why and he hadn’t grown the balls to ask just yet.

So short, Liam still sucked at golf, Niall was still clueless and it didn’t seem like any of these things were going to change any time soon.

“Weird.” Was all Harry said to that and Niall would have looked over to check whether his friend really was as pissed as he sounded, but instead he made sure to write something down, phone clutched tightly in his hand though. “I found his Facebook profile by the way, after you showed me his profile picture and-“

“Wait… what?!” Niall almost dropped his pen at that, heard turning around in the split of a second just to see Harry shrugging, a pretty unimpressed look on his face.

“Yeah, don’t pee your pants, Nialler. It’s on private, literally everything, only way I know it’s him is ‘cos it’s the same profile picture. Or maybe it’s a fan page, who knows, I mean, he’s a model, right? Models have fans.” Right, Niall really should have not told Harry that, but for now he was simply relieved that his best friend hadn’t succeeded at stalking Liam. Even if Niall wouldn’t have been mad getting to know the man a bit more, because in all honesty, he still knew nothing about him except for his age, what he did for a living and where he had studied. 

Liam, on the other hand, had somehow managed to get Niall to tell him all sorts of stupid things. For example, how he and Harry had met in kindergarten, that his parents were divorced, what music he liked to listen to, what kinda things he liked to do in his free time. Whenever Niall would ask Liam back though, the answers he got were very vague and could easily be misinterpreted, plus Liam made a joke out of anything personal so the blonde wasn’t even sure whether any of the things that came out of Liam’s mouth were true or not.

“I mean… I suppose?” They had googled his model pictures, under Niall’s protest and though Harry had been snickering like a stupid idiot the whole time, that had quickly died down once they had actually found the pictures. Not only did Liam look exceptionally gorgeous in every single one of them, he had also been in a variety of notable magazines, as far as Niall could judge because he literally had no idea about those sorts of things. Ever since then, Harry had been trying to find holes in Niall’s stories that would indicate that he had simply been making all of this up, but ever since the texting had started… the younger boy was clearly having a harder time with that.

“It’s still weird… I haven’t really found that much private stuff about him, in all the interviews he’s just talking about those stupid apps he invented. Oh, and I know where he was born too, very interesting.” Rolling his eyes at that, Niall tried to pretend like he didn’t even care, when in reality… he was pretty sure he and Harry had been reading the same interview, but no one needed to know that. “Maybe he’s not even that rich, maybe he was just trying to show off in front of you.”

“He does drive a Lamborghini though.” If there was one thing that was for certain, it was that Liam was fucking rich, but Niall didn’t care if Harry wanted to tell himself something else in order to feel better. In fact, he would have really welcomed it had his best friend simply let all of this drop and decided that he wasn’t interested anymore.

“Could have just been borrowed.” Harry argued and Niall found himself nodding along, kinda worried that they had gotten into a situation like that in the first place. Before he had met Liam neither of them had ever cared about models or cars or interviews and now… 

As the professor moved on to explain something more complicated, they both stayed quiet for a while to listen and Niall put his phone on the table, with the display down, not wanting to be distracted while taking notes. In the back of his head though, he was still thinking about Liam, just like he seemed to do all day every day. But who could have blamed him really, with everything going on?

When class was finally over, Niall was only slightly disappointed that Liam hadn’t texted him back as he was packing up his stuff. Not that they were constantly texting or something, but Niall would have still liked a message back to know whether Liam was coming tomorrow or not. Especially because tomorrow wasn’t just any day and Niall actually hated that he _wanted_ to spend his birthday with Liam, but then again, he had to work anyways. 

“So, tomorrow… “ Harry started and Niall half expected him to start talking about Liam again, already trying to mentally prepare himself. “When are you gonna be finished with work?”

“Um… I guess around 5?” Depending whether Liam showed up or not and how long he stayed, but Niall didn’t really wanna talk about that, so he tried to make a generous guess while they were walking out of the lecture hall next to each other. “Don’t tell me now you’ve got something else planned.”

“I don’t, Ni, who do you think I am?” Laughing, Harry softly bumped his elbow into the blonde’s ribs, causing him to feel relief spreading through him. For a moment there, he had almost thought Harry was so upset about this Liam situation that he wouldn’t even wanna have a drink with him on his birthday, which was stupid really because they were still best friends and would always be. “So, we could get something to eat when you get back from work and then have a drink? I already asked the others and they’re free, ‘m not sure if they remembered to get you presents, but… I did.”

“Thanks, Haz.” Niall laughed, not at all bothered that his other friends had probably not gotten him anything because in all honesty, Niall didn’t always get them something on their birthdays either. Not because he forgot, but simply because it was rather hard to find something. “And yeah, sounds good. After what I got you for your last birthday, you really do have big shoes to fill.”

“Please, my presents are always _way_ better than yours anyways, you’ll be absolutely blown away.” His smirk was a little bit too confident, but Niall decided to let it pass, just glad for now that they had dropped the topic from before. Although knowing Harry way too well, the blonde knew that if he received a frame picture of one of Liam’s photoshoots tomorrow, he wouldn’t be surprised the least. 

Their ways parted a few minutes later as they had different classes and Niall gave Harry a half hug before he walked into the other direction, just because they wouldn’t be seeing each other anymore until in the evening. Which was fine, Niall had other friends, and to be quite honest, he wouldn’t have even noticed today if nobody had been talking to him all day long. His thoughts were kinda consumed with the fact that Liam never texted him back, never told him whether he would show up tomorrow or not and that caused the blonde more distress than he would have liked.

 

\--------------

 

“Horan, wait. I’ve got a question.” Right when Niall had been about to go into the employee’s locker room to get changed and _finally_ look at his schedule so the secret of whether Liam would show up or not would be solved, he got stopped by his boss. 

“Um… sure?” For some reason, Niall felt caught, his cheeks turning hot even though the other man didn’t even look like he was going to yell at him for something, he just seemed the slightest bit worried.

“I know you’ve been practicing with Liam Payne a lot.“ Oh god, here it came, he had seen them snogging, or even worse, he had seen Liam’s hand on Niall’s ass two weeks ago, oh god, Niall was going to get fired and- “But I just wanted to ask whether you noticed anything, like… I mean with other employees.”

“What… what should I have noticed?” Niall’s ears were literally rushing and he felt really sick to his stomach even if this very obviously wasn’t even about him.

For some reason, his boss took a deep breath, stepping in closer even though there were barely any people here today as it had kinda been drizzling all morning long. “Normally I don’t really listen to any gossip, but… I’ve heard that… one employee apparently had… something… _private_ going on in a bathroom a while ago and… I have no idea who it was, maybe it isn’t even true, but… if you do know anything, then maybe you could like… warn that person for me? Because especially now that we’ve got people like Liam Payne coming by regularly, I would really not appreciate somebody ruining our reputation, you know?”

“Oh, I… I haven’t… haven’t heard anything, but I… “ Fuck. “I’ll, uh… if I do find out who it was then… I’ll talk to them.”

“Thanks, Niall.” Niall’s boss actually sounded very delighted as he petted Niall’s shoulder and the blonde wanted to die. The saddest thing was, above all, that he didn’t even know at what day anybody could have noticed him and Liam snogging because… it had happened three times already. “What’s Payne saying anyways? Is he getting better?”

“Well, he… he’s… he’s not that good yet, but… he says that… that it doesn’t matter and that… that he’s going to keep coming back until he’s a decent player, so… I assume that… he likes it here.” Niall just needed to play this as cool as possible, even though he was 100% sure there were already red patches forming on his skin out of nervousness.

“Great, that’s amazing. The longer he stays, the better, somebody like him is really good for our image, especially if he keeps parking that car right outside the door.” Right, this didn’t sound very correct, but Niall of course wasn’t going to comment it, he simply nodded his head, taking the praise because at least it meant his boss would never even suspect him to have been the one who had had… something _private_ going on in the bathroom. Three times. “Anyways, I gotta go. Good work lately and happy birthday.”

“Oh, uh… thanks.” Niall made sure to blurt out a second before his boss had already left, leaving him standing there for just a moment, relieved but also kinda afraid. Now Niall suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore if he really wished for Liam to drop by today.

Still, the blonde’s heart was pounding quite uncomfortably as he went to get changed, making sure to only look at the schedule board on his way out, the knot in his chest loosening quite noticeably when he saw Liam’s name on the board. Usually they didn’t write down the customers’ names, since obviously they didn’t know what they looked like, but it was different with regulars and apparently even more different with Liam.

Niall was slightly upset that the older man hadn’t texted him back to confirm that he was coming, but he really tried not to let it show as he made his way to the VIP lounge, greeting a few of his coworkers on the way who had gotten quite a bit more distant ever since Liam’s dad and then Liam himself had shown up. Was it Niall’s fault though, that they had picked him?

Though Niall was on time, he still came into an almost empty lounge, a few of the posher customers hanging out, but there was no Liam in sight. What if he didn’t show up? What if… oh god, what if something had happened to him? And he had made sure to book Niall before that, but then something had come in the way or something had happened and…

Honestly, should Niall have been worried? Like, was that appropriate? Should he have… done something? Since Liam hadn’t texted him back either? Wasn’t it kinda… his duty to do something? God, Niall couldn’t believe he had gotten into a situation like that, usually he was thrilled whenever customers didn’t show up because he would still get paid and could just play golf all by himself, and especially today when it was his birthday, but… it was Liam, not just anybody.

They weren’t friends, not really, they didn’t know each other well enough for that, but Niall did like Liam, as crazy as that sounded. More than that, he liked snogging him and each time he thought of it whenever he was alone, there was heat crawling up underneath his skin, just the memory getting him all squirmy and bothered.

Now though, Niall didn’t have thoughts of that sort at all, he just tried to look busy as he walked around the lounge, almost biting his fingers bleeding, not even noticing what he was doing. Honestly, he should have probably just called Liam, just a quick check up and… if he did pick up then Niall could just hang up, pretend it had been a mistake.

Twenty or more minutes passed of Niall just pacing around, trying to remain calm, chatting to some customers in case his boss walked past and wanted to accuse him of not doing anything. When the blonde was seconds from getting his phone out to at least text Liam so he could tell himself he had tried, there was something covering his eyes from behind as he had been staring out onto the golf course in distress, watching the slight drizzle coming down onto the grass.

“Wha-“ Confused as hell, Niall flinched as his sight was gone from one second to the other, needing only a moment to figure out that someone was covering his eyes and standing behind him, panic rising in his chest as he pulled away promptly, turning around just for his words to get stuck in his throat. “Oh.”

“Hey, there. Sorry I’m late.” It was Liam, looking so stunningly beautiful that Niall wanted to cry. Honestly, that smile on his face, his perfectly styled hair that had only gotten a little bit wet, the stubble he seemed to have not shaved in a few days longer than normally, his arms that looked kinda huge underneath that shirt and most of all his eyes settled on Niall’s, seemingly staring straight into his soul. “You alright?”

“Yeah, I… I’m fine. I was just… wondering where you were, I… “ Niall had almost admitted that he had been worried, but he luckily stopped himself in time, swallowing thickly as he looked away, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to cover it up.

“Sorry, there was a lot of traffic and I was at a meeting and… actually, I wouldn’t have even had time today, but I couldn’t leave you hanging, could I?” He winked at Niall, the blonde caught it when he briefly looked up, immediately regretting it though. “I hope you weren’t too worried.”

“I… no, I… just a bit.” The blonde finally confessed, seeing Liam’s facial expression change for just a second as he tried to quickly talk himself out of it. Fuck, why was it so hard to just stay quiet when Liam was looking at him like that?! “I mean… I wasn’t _worried_ worried, just… I was wondering where you were or… if you had forgotten and… anyways, um… “

“God. You really are the cutest, aren’t you?” And there it all went, Liam’s mocking tone of voice was back, and that laugh, and to make matters even worse, he ruffled Niall’s hair like he had done quite a few times by now, clearly not taking him serious at all. “But don’t worry, I’m here now and I promise I’ll text you next time if I’m running late. And I’ll also text you back in general next time, I completely forgot last night.”

“I… I didn’t even notice.” Niall straight out lied, kinda pissed off that Liam was treating him like a child, but he was pretty damn sure that it sounded exactly like a lie because the brunette laughed out loud, randomly touching Niall’s chin for just a brief moment which hopefully no one had seen. Also not him holding Niall’s eyes closed because after what his boss had asked him before… 

“Of course you didn’t. Should we go then? I feel like I’ve already forgotten everything you told me last time we practiced.” Well, that wasn’t anything new, was it?

As Niall’s face was burning hot and red, it felt really good to step out into the light rain a few moments later, carrying Liam’s golf gear as usual, even if the brunette sometimes insisted on doing it himself once they were further away from the main building. Last time, he had also complained about wanting to drive the golf cart so badly that Niall had just let him, even against policies. 

Then again, he was pretty sure snogging in the bathroom would have gotten him into even more trouble.

“So, I was thinking...” Liam started while Niall was trying to think of where to take them since they had a lot of choices today, now that it was raining and everything. Actually, playing in the rain wasn’t a good idea at all, especially because Liam was such a bad player, but if that’s what Liam wanted… “If you always have to work on the weekend, then… we could do something afterwards, right? When you get off?”

“I… what?” Wait a second… was he… asking Niall to… _hang out?!_

“I mean we could get something to eat or something? Not today if you’ve got no time, just in general. Unless you don’t want to, but… tomorrow?” Alright, had Niall been blushed before in Liam’s presence, then it didn’t compare just in the slightest to how fucking red he was getting at hearing this, like… the brunette didn’t even sound like he was joking, it sounded like… like he was asking for a date, which he probably wasn’t, but… what if he was? 

“I… do you… I… but… “ Literally, the words falling out of Niall’s words weren’t cohesive in the slightest, he had to actually remind himself that he was still driving this damn golf cart or he would have crashed right into something. Was he dreaming? 

“It’s fine if you say no, I’d understand.” What?!

“No, I… I… I’m not, uh… I’m not saying no, I just… “ Niall honestly felt like he couldn’t speak properly anymore, like it was so hard to just form a clear thought right now and just… what?!

“So… are you saying yes then?” Liam was talking more slowly now, as if Niall was stupid or something and wouldn’t understand him otherwise and maybe that didn’t seem too far off right now. “We can go today, or tomorrow, or next weekend, whatever you want.”

“I-I… why?” Was all the blonde could think of asking, even if it sounded quite stupid, but really… WHY?!

“Why not?” There was just no arguing with this man, was there? Niall could never get a clear answer out of him if the brunette decided he didn’t want to answer it, not in a billion years. “Maybe I’ll even let you see the rest of my tattoos, if you get really lucky.”

Stopping the golf cart at a spot so private that Niall really questioned his own sanity, he didn’t know what to answer. Like, literally did not know how or what to say, so instead, Niall just stayed quiet, listening to the rain that was suddenly getting really heavy, conveniently enough, banging on the roof of the golf cart, making the silence slightly less uncomfortable. “I… I’ve… I’ve got time, uh… not… not today though.”

“That’s fine, I actually have to get some work done as well, so tomorrow’s probably better anyways.” Liam sounded really cheerful, as usual, as if he didn’t even notice how awkwardly Niall was behaving, but just for once, he wasn’t even making fun of the blonde. “Is it even possible to play when it’s raining like that?”

“I… it’s definitely… possible.” But not advisable, Niall was just staring straight ahead, into the rain, hearing Liam chuckle next to him, only now realizing just how close they were sitting. Was this a date?! Did they have a date tomorrow, or… or was it just hanging out? Maybe Liam was trying to become his friend? “Maybe we should wait until… until it’s gotten better or… or we could still practice if… if you want… it’s your call.”

“I’d say we wait, at least for a few minutes, it’s really pouring down.” Right, that expensive watch he was wearing all the time probably wasn’t water proof, also his phone and besides, Niall was kinda glad about Liam’s decision anyways because he wasn’t really able to concentrate right now, yet again being confused as hell because of something Liam had said or done. “I’d know something to pass the time more quickly though, y’know.”

Insane. This man was _insane_. 

“’m sure you’d also get a lot warmer.” He was clearly referring to the goosebumps that have risen all over Niall’s arms, he had regretted having worn a short sleeved shirt and not having taken his jacket, but he had been way too anxious about seeing Liam before. And right now he barely even noticed the coldness either because he _really_ wanted Liam to kiss him like he had implied, even if they were out here in the open, but let’s be honest… nobody would see them, nobody would even stay out here when it was raining like that. Then again, Niall also had no idea how anybody else had noticed them making out in the bathroom, but… maybe it hadn’t even been about them? Right, it probably hadn’t been.

“… Okay.” Was all Niall said, not knowing how else to agree, so he at least forced himself to turn his head, cheeks still glowing, even more so when he met Liam’s eyes once more and saw the older’s smirk.

Liam didn’t say a word, his face just lit up even more and before Niall even knew it, there was a hand on his thigh, dangerously close to his crotch, and when the brunette leaned over, the blonde’s eyes flattered closed in anticipation, automatically kind of, because this definitely was not the first time this had happened. And it definitely also wasn’t the first time that Niall had given in so willingly, embarrassingly over eager as well. God, he still didn’t know what tomorrow was supposed to be and whether he would have even _wanted_ it to be a date, but Liam’s lips were brushing against his and the older’s fingers were digging into the flesh of his thigh and Niall quickly decided that this was already the best birthday he could have wished for. 

Liam’s free hand was on the side of Niall’s neck, thumb brushing over his cheek as he licked into the younger’s open mouth, causing the knot in Niall’s stomach to disappear at an instant. He didn’t know what it was about Liam or the way he was kissing him, it just felt so incredibly good and there were goosebumps all over Niall’s skin and he couldn’t help that he leaned further into the brunette’s space, covering Liam’s hand with his own.

Sure, anybody could have seen them had they happened to drive past, but that was the last thing on Niall’s mind, all he could think of was Liam’s tongue against his, long and hard strokes against his own, teasing him just like he always did. He was honestly snogging Niall as if he was about to just rip his clothes off, their breathing getting heavy within seconds but neither of them wanting to pull away.

Niall was aware that he had gotten half hard in his pants, Liam’s hand was dangerously close to where his cock was trapped and he was actually pretty sure the older man knew just what kinda effect his kisses and touches had on the blonde. Not that Niall was embarrassed about that right now, he honestly didn’t care, it felt like each time they did this, it just got more heated than the last time, they both got more desperate and riskier and… one day Niall would just combust.

When Liam pulled back just the tiniest bit, so their lips were still somehow brushing and their foreheads were knocking against each other, Niall could feel a whine building in the back of his throat, wanting to kiss Liam again even though they were both panting and out of breath and his lips were burning in the best way possible. 

“Hey… I think… I think it stopped raining… “ Liam half whispered, his lips brushing Niall’s and the blonde wanted to just ignore him for a moment, just kiss him again and shove his tongue back into the older’s mouth, that’s how little he cared about keeping his job right now. 

“Hmm… I don’t care.” Niall said without thinking, only hearing Liam’s chuckle for half a second before he had already pressed their lips back together, gripping more tightly onto the older’s hand as he leaned even further across the seat, pleased when Liam kissed him right back. Not as long as Niall would have liked to though.

“I really… I really need the bathroom… “ In Niall’s state of mine that he was in right now, this sounded like a _brilliant_ idea, even if Liam had sounded anything but serious, kissing Niall again afterwards, shortly but kinda really soft. 

“There’s… one up there… “ Niall mumbled, not even having opened his eyes just yet. He didn’t even know for sure whether this was going to turn into what he thought or wanted, maybe Liam really did need the bathroom, however… in all honesty, Niall didn’t even care. If it meant they could be alone in a locked room for just a little while and snog some more, then he would gladly agree to that as well.

As Liam leaned back fully, still keeping his hands in place though, Niall’s eyes flattered open slowly only to be greeted with a rather cheeky grin, the older’s lips all plush and shiny and just for once, Niall didn’t turn all red, he just stared, trying to fully take this moment in.

“Look at you… “ Liam mumbled before brushing over the blonde’s cheek once more, this time with the back of his finger though, leaving a trail of sparks down Niall’s skin. Honestly, even if he had had to guess, he had no idea what that was supposed to mean. 

Feeling a sudden rush of impatience, Niall made sure to withdraw from Liam then, of course causing the older man to laugh because he must have surely noticed. He did follow Niall though when the blonde climbed out of the golf cart with a simple ‘I kinda need the bathroom too’, trying not to run the small hill up because he was clearly being way too over eager already. Just… god, every second he did not spend kissing Liam’s lips felt like a fucking waste of time. The small building was only a few seconds away and yet he felt like they had to walk for ages.

“Do you… do you really need the bathroom?” Niall finally asked once they had entered and he heard Liam behind himself, his cheeks slowly turning patchy and hot as he eyed his reflection in the mirror before turning around to look at the older man. 

“Hmmm… not really.” Liam decided and before Niall even knew it, the brunette had turned around the lock after closing the door and within a second, Niall’s heart had skipped like two hundred beats and his stomach twisted into knots and he suddenly couldn’t breathe anymore. This was _genuinely_ happening and it was so wrong and- “Unless you do, you know, I won’t stop you. No matter what you decided you wanna do.”

“You… you won’t?” Getting just a tiny bit choked up, Niall tried to keep his cool, tried not to panic when Liam walked towards him with that crooked, gorgeous smile on his lips that yet again made his knees feel weak. 

“Nope.” Was all Liam answered, not stopping even when his shoes were almost touching Niall’s, his hands coming to a rest on the younger’s hips, squeezing him as he leaned his head down, not doing anything just yet but it was enough to cause Niall’s breathing to increase once more. “I won’t do anything if you don’t want me to, you know. I’d never do that.”

“I know… “ Niall half whispered because he did, Liam had not once forced himself on him, he always waited for permission or for Niall to close the final gap and the younger boy really appreciated that, but… right now he really wouldn’t have minded for Liam to just get on with it. “You… you can though… do whatever you want, I mean… “

“Really?” Liam asked with a small chuckle, his forehead now touching Niall’s and the younger boy couldn’t help but let his eyes fall closed once more as he tilted his head up a bit, hoping for a kiss as he slowly wrapped his arms around Liam’s neck, only loosely at first. “Hmmm… what if I decide that… I really wanna kiss you until you’re begging me to get those ridiculously tight clothes off of you? Would that… go too far?”

Fuck, there were literal shivers running down Niall’s spine just at the thought of that, and the thing was, he kinda loved the fact of having to beg Liam and he couldn’t fucking believe that Liam seemed to be just as eager to get into Niall’s pants. He hadn’t been joking after all, not one single time, and to think that Niall could have had all of that way sooner almost made him really angry at himself. 

“No… “ He made sure to answer after some slight hesitation of being forced to take it in, he was literally so excited that it should have been embarrassing. Not as embarrassing though as what he blurted out with next then, feeling all dizzy from Liam’s breath mixing with his, their noses brushing. “It’s… it’s my birthday… today.”

“Oh? Well, then, birthday boy… “ Liam’s voice had kinda changed, but it didn’t have that mocking tone like it sometimes did, he actually sounded kinda excited as well, almost as eager as Niall felt like, literally dying here waiting for Liam to finally kiss him. “I guess… here goes your present …”

When they did kiss this time, Niall felt like he was going to actually choke from anticipation, immediately tightening his arms around the older’s neck, almost clinging to him now as he willingly parted his lips for him one more time, feeling the brunette kinda making him walk backwards a little bit until Niall’s back hit the counter. 

Their bodies were pressed together so tightly now that Niall had no single doubt anymore that Liam could feel how hard he had gotten, all the talking and the snogging and the touching having led up to this and he obviously couldn’t have changed it even if he had wanted to. Liam was just so incredibly attractive and he was so bloody good at all of this and Niall felt so hot and bothered by now that he couldn’t even believe that he was still wearing clothes.

Liam didn’t lift Niall on the counter immediately, he just kept kissing him for a while, rubbing his hands up and down his side and back, slipping them underneath the blonde’s shirt and causing him to bend his body even more towards Liam’s until not even a slip of paper could have fitted in between them.

When Liam’s hands _finally_ moved down over Niall’s arse, the blonde couldn’t help but let out a quiet moan into Liam’s hot mouth, his fingers fisted into the brunette’s hair, pulling on it as the older’s hands gripped a hold of the back of his thighs, easily lifting him up to sit on top of the counter, as if Niall didn’t even weigh anything at all. Shit, he was strong and he had so many muscles and Niall was going to pass out.

Other than last time though, three weeks ago, when Liam was standing between Niall’s open legs this time, the younger boy wasn’t shy to make sure to keep him there, not willing to loosen his arms just a little bit as he wrapped his legs around Liam’s body. His jaw almost hurting by now as he let Liam’s tongue explore his mouth, shivering as the older’s hands moved up even further underneath his shirt. 

Niall really tried to take advantage of the situation, where he got to touch Liam all he wanted, run his fingers through his hair and over his biceps down his arm, but he barely got a chance to do so because he was kinda holding on for dear life now. Liam didn’t immediately start pulling at Niall’s shirt, but when he did the blonde was forced to break the kiss just so he could breathe a little bit, his lunges already burning from lack of air.

“Alright?” Liam checked, quietly, panting against Niall’s lips as he was shoving up the younger’s shirt and Niall simply stuck to nodding before removing his arms from around Liam’s neck, only for a moment so the older boy could take off his shirt, letting it fall on the counter somewhere next to Niall. 

“Yours… yours has to go too… “ Honestly, there was no need to be embarrassed anymore and voice his wishes out loud, Niall was literally sitting here fully hard and without a shirt on and besides, Liam just laughed breathlessly before reaching behind himself an simply pulling off his own shirt. Right, now Niall’s time to die had truly come. 

Seeing Liam without a top on made Niall feel all sorts of things he hadn’t known he’d even be capable off, he couldn’t help but shamelessly stare as he reached out, keeping his hand on Liam’s chest for just a moment before moving it down, brushing his chest hair and his muscles, feeling how warm and tight his skin was. This shouldn’t have been allowed, honestly, he was way too hot, way too hot for Niall especially, and yet… 

Not allowing the younger boy to keep on admiring and touching him for very long, Liam simply pressed their lips back together, his hands now having a lot more freedom as they explored Niall’s naked upper body and the younger boy could feel a shudder going through his body as he made sure to keep Liam close, with both his arms and legs. He was feeling hot and cold, out of breath and yet longing for Liam to keep on kissing him all at the same time. 

This wasn’t like anything Niall had ever done. First, he had never snogged anybody this heatedly in a bathroom, but adding up to that, he had never allowed a half stranger to start undoing his belt and pants in a public place, while he was actually _at work_ , and though Niall had had one night stands, he had never had them completely sober before. And especially not with a bloody model.

Liam made quick process with the zipper of Niall’s pants, kissing him through all of it, their mouths opening wide as their tongues were sliding against each other, all wet and hot and Niall couldn’t have held back those moans even if he had tried, his fingernails burying themselves in the older’s skin, undoubtedly leaving marks.

When the older man had finally managed to open Niall’s pants completely, the blonde thought he was going to pass out from lack of air as he was forced to break the kiss just to take in a deep breath that resulted in a moan as Liam’s hand made its way into his already damp boxer shorts, wrapping around his fully hard erection for just a moment, causing it to slap against Niall’s bare stomach as he pulled his underwear down as far as that was possible.

“Fuck… you’re so wet already… “ Liam’s voice was half a growl right into Niall’s ear as the blonde shivered, clinging to Liam as he tried to catch his breath a little bit, eyes pressed closed and sweat forming on his forehead, not even managing to get out one single word.

Liam didn’t immediately wrap his hand back around where Niall desperately wanted it, actually, the younger boy couldn’t help a whine or two when Liam wasn’t doing anything, only to accidentally bite his own lip bleeding when he realized that the brunette had been busy somehow opening his own pants in between them. Shit, they were so going to do this and Niall could have cum just from the thought.

“Liam… “ Niall spoke without even thinking, forcing himself to blink his eyes open as he leaned back just a bit, one hand resting against Liam’s chest, right over where his heart was hammering, looking down just to feel even dizzier than he already had. Liam’s cock was fully erect as well, his foreskin already pulled back tightly and a pearl of precum oozing from the tip and Niall couldn’t really help himself when he just blurted out with it, seeing how thick Liam was and the thought of having him stretch his mouth and make him gag so appealing that it caused his stomach to tighten. “I… I wanna suck you off…”

For just a moment, it seemed like Liam was considering it, the only sound in the room being their heavy breathing and their pants and Niall only lifted his head up, tore his eyes away from the older’s cock because he felt Liam’s fingers on his chin, kinda softly, forcing him to look at him instead. “Not today.”

“But I-“

The blonde simply got cut off with Liam’s lips against his, the older man using the chance that Niall’s lips had already been parted to slip his tongue inside, immediately shutting him up and turning his brain into complete mush. For a moment there, Niall almost thought about protesting, almost thought about putting up a fight until Liam would let him, but then the older’s hand wrapped back around him and… needless to say, Niall never really thought about it again, deciding that it had rather sounded like a promise for future activities.

It felt so incredible, so bloody intense as Liam’s slightly rough hand gave Niall’s erection a few measured jerks and the blonde moaned loudly into the other’s mouth, arms curling back around Liam’s neck to keep him close, already feeling so close to busting that it should have been embarrassing. Little did he know the older man was just getting started.

One thing was for sure, Liam definitely knew his way around a cock, his hand always doing a full stroke, going slowly and then suddenly more quickly, spreading Niall’s wetness over his length to make the glide easier and had the blonde’s breath not quickened immensely at that, the heat in his stomach coiling as his balls drew closer to his body, it certainly did when Liam suddenly lined both of their erections up, wrapping his larger hand around both of them at the same time.

“Oh my god… _Liam_ …” Niall couldn’t hold back anymore, his mouth having slipped off of Liam’s, leaving a string of spit as the brunette began jerking them both off at the same time, keeping them pressed together, the lovely drag of his thick cock against Niall’s almost being too much for the younger boy to take. “Aaah… _yeah_ … g-go… f-faster… “

The older man easily complied, grunting into Niall’s ear as the younger boy leaned his sweaty forehead against Liam’s, the younger’s fingers curled so tightly into Liam’s damp hair that he was sure he was soon going to have a fist full of it afterwards. It’s just… Niall literally felt like he had gone to heaven, he didn’t even _dare_ thinking of what it’d feel like to have Liam’s cock inside of him, splitting him open, fucking him against that bathroom wall until Niall was screaming for it. 

Somehow, the fact that Liam was so obviously used to having the upper hand, not even _allowing_ Niall to replace his hand even when the younger boy tried to at one point (only because he wanted to touch Liam though), really _really_ turned the blonde on. It was so hot, knowing how strong Liam was, how he had simply lifted Niall up on that counter, how he was the one who had gotten them both half undressed and was now jerking them off, with the hand that had that stupidly expensive watch around his wrist, the tattoos stretching across the skin, his muscles flexing even though Niall couldn’t even see them.

There was just something about this, about Liam being rich and being this bloody attractive and being so bossy just because he was older than Niall and taking control, knowing exactly just how much effect he had on the blonde. Niall honestly didn’t know what to do with these feelings, didn’t know how to label them or whether any of this was to be considered normal but… quite frankly, he couldn’t have given two shits either. 

Neither of them lasted very long. When Liam’s hand was slowing down and the older man’s breaths had gotten panicky-like, Niall knew that he wasn’t the only one who was close, but he was trying so hard to hold back, wanting to relish those feelings for as long as somehow possible.

“Feels good, yeah?” Liam half whispered, almost as if he wanted Niall to say it, as if he needed to hear it out loud, needed the praise, and Niall was only too happy to give him exactly that.

“S-So good, Liam… _oh god_ … please don’t s-stop… _please_ … “ Niall knew he sounded absolutely pathetic, but he couldn’t grasp a clear thought, trying to somehow buck his hips more into Liam’s hand as the older boy had slowed down the pace, as if he was trying to tease Niall when in reality, he was probably trying to drag it out.

He did pick up the pace a little bit after Niall had been begging him, squeezing their cocks together in the most pleasurable way, making sure to use his flat palm to rub across their tips, his thumbnail getting caught in Niall’s slit, making him jerk. “Fuck… you feel so good against me… can’t even imagine how… how fucking good it’d feel to be buried inside you… I’d get so deep, _fuck_... make you scream for it and… shit… bet you’re so tight, aren’t you?”

The dirty talk was something Niall hadn’t really expected because he had never been into that with anybody else, but when Liam did it there were literally just moans falling out of the blonde’s mouth, he was absolute putty in the man’s grip and they both knew it.

“C’mon… I know you’re close… “ Liam urged him as he started to stroke them faster once more, his fist making a wet sound as he was moving it across their lengths, Niall’s forehead by now resting against Liam’s bare shoulder, his whole body feeling like jello and he just wanted to come so fucking badly but somehow hadn’t dared to give in before Liam had told him to. “C’mon, baby… cum for me… s-say my name… _shit_ … “

Niall wasn’t really capable of saying anything at all or he totally would have. In all honesty though, he barely even heard Liam’s half choked out words in his ear, the older’s hot breath giving him even more goosebumps than he already had had, the only thing leaving his mouth being louder than moans than he had ever produced before.

Right when Liam was about to push him over the edge, clearly not following far behind, he spoke once more but his voice had somehow changed, it had gotten firmer, bossy almost as he half growled the words, and maybe it was exactly what Niall had needed to finally let go. “Fucking say my name, Niall.”

“ _Liam!_ ” This time, Niall immediately complied, seconds before coating Liam’s hand and their bare skin with strings of cum while Liam kept working him through his orgasm, following only seconds behind, his moan escaping him right next to Niall’s ear making the blonde see stars as Liam dragged out his high, longer than anybody else had ever done before, even Niall himself.

When they did come down from it, Niall’s ears were ringing and he felt absolutely incapable of moving, so he simply didn’t, just breathing quite heavily against Liam’s shoulder as he kept his forehead there, only now realizing that those weren’t just pearls of sweat on his face but rather tears. Fuck, that was so worth getting fired. 

Though Liam seemed to be pretty exhausted as well, he barely gave Niall time to recover, withdrawing his dirty hand from in between them, the other one pushing just lightly against Niall’s shoulder, his voice sounding a bit shivery, quiet. “Look at me… “

And so Niall did, his eyes feeling teary and they were kinda burning and his face was sweaty and undoubtedly red, but… he didn’t even care, he felt so blissful now, not knowing what to say once his eyes met Liam’s brown ones, the older’s hand momentarily cupping the side of his neck before again holding his chin in his place, dragging his thumb across Niall’s shiny bottom lip.

For a moment, Liam’s face was serious, but it only lasted for a moment before the usual cheeky grin came back, even though he was just as blushed as Niall felt, his lips swollen and sweat glistering on his forehead. But when he spoke, it sounded just like it always did, confident as hell and as if he was very well aware of the fact that he had just given Niall the best orgasm of his life, which was maybe why he seemed to consider himself to be a present. “Happy birthday.” 

Niall was going to hell and he was going to enjoy every single second of it. 

 

\------------

 

When Liam drove Niall home that night, the blonde still had not gotten over what had happened, even less so when the brunette had yet again kissed his cheek before Niall had gotten out of the car, as if it was natural, the same smirk on his face that he had been wearing all day long, even after… _it_ had happened.

They hadn’t gotten caught, no one had ever tried coming into that bathroom even though they must have spent ages in there, snogging even more afterwards and then having tried to somehow wash up and Niall had thought he’d feel embarrassed, had thought he’d regret it to at least some extent, but… he never did.

Actually, it was quite the opposite. Suddenly he felt a lot braver around Liam, kinda wasn’t scared anymore to touch the older man whenever he practiced later on and once again had his hips in the wrong position. And the thing was, Liam seemed to be highly amused by that, he showed no sign of regret whatsoever, if anything, his inappropriate jokes only increased.

Again, they didn’t really discuss what had happened, though the dynamic between them had shifted somehow and when Liam had his hand right on Niall’s ass when they came back to the main building hours later, the blonde didn’t blush just for once in his life, could actually only think about how fucking proud he was that Liam seemed to be so eager to touch him, had wanted to get into his pants so desperately.

He never told Harry, they just celebrated Niall’s birthday in the evening, with some of their mates and at night when his best friend asked, Niall simply stuck to telling him that Liam had snogged him in the bathroom again with which Harry was happy anyways.

Niall had no idea what any of this was or what he actually wanted this to turn into, but it was like… it didn’t really matter because what if Liam just wanted to have fun, Niall was fully on board with that, pretty much with anything the older man could have possibly suggested. Honestly, the blonde might have even come to work without getting payment if that meant he got to fool around with Liam again and snog him and touch him all over and… god, that man was just so incredible.

Which was also why Niall was extra disappointed when the next day, Liam did not show up, despite what he had told the blonde about them hanging out afterwards and for the first time ever since the bathroom incident had happened, Niall kinda really questioned Liam’s motives. 

Needless to say, he was kinda depressed all day, which he absolutely hated because… he had not wanted to get attached and maybe it wasn’t even Liam himself, just the fact that they had gone so far and then Liam had simply not shown up, not even bothering to send a text.

Honestly, Niall did ask himself more than a few times that day whether he had been played by the older man, whether they’d ever even see each other again or whether he would have to pay for that high he had been on yesterday, for being such a goddamn fool and getting so caught up in the whole situation when it probably didn’t even mean anything at all. Like, he had gotten his fair share of fun, right? Had gotten what he had wanted from the moment he had met Liam and now… now he apparently had to suffer for it.

Little did Niall though, that he was in for a really big and kinda shocking surprise. 

“Are you always going home that early when I’m not there?” Literally, Niall had only walked down the street for like a minute when he flinched terribly, having been trying to find a song on his phone to listen to, not yet having found one or he would have definitely not heard that very familiar voice. That _asshole_.

For a moment, Niall considered walking on, pretending that he hadn’t even heard Liam, but then he was already taking his headphones out of his ears, feeling quite a bit of rage boiling up inside of him as he saw the older’s grin, leaning against his stupid ass car, standing on the sidewalk literally two meters away from Niall. Honestly, nobody could blame Niall for voicing his anger out loud. “Yeah… so thanks for not showing up, I needed a short day.”

Normally, Niall would have never dared speaking to Liam like that, but he was blushed already anyways and… for Christ’s sake, that man had had his hand on Niall’s cock just a day ago and he would be laughing at the blonde no matter what he decided to say. Of course not disappointing this time. “Good, I was already thinking you might be mad at me for not coming.”

“Why would I care?” Niall was very well aware that he wasn’t at all sounding as if he didn’t care, if anything, he probably sounded like he had spent all day thinking about Liam and was about to forgive him just like that. Which he was, but he was trying to be strong here, trying to come off as confident for just once. 

Liam seemed surprised for just a moment, though he must have been able to see right through Niall’s façade because he pushed away from the car then. He took a step towards the younger boy, smirking as he reached out for him, never reaching him though because the blonde made sure to take a step back, causing Liam’s expression to falter for just a moment as he lowered his arm again. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I… I gotta go, my bus is coming any minute.” A lie, Niall didn’t even make any attempts to move, he knew it was pathetic, to hope that Liam would apologize. Right now, it didn’t look like that would happen anytime soon.

“Oh my god… are you _honestly_ mad at me?” The older man actually and truly seemed stunned for a moment and Niall bit his lip as he looked at his own shoes, already regretting his short period of confidence. Great, now Liam thought he had gotten attached, maybe he even thought that Niall was crushing on him or something, and it really wasn’t that, the blonde had just… not been prepared for Liam to leave him hanging like that. “When I asked you yesterday if you wanted to hang out after you get off of work, I… I never meant that I would actually be there, at the golf center, I mean. I didn’t know you thought I’d show up or I would have texted you.”

“Oh.” Well, now that made it even more embarrassing and Niall just wanted to die. What had he even been thinking, acting like a jealous boyfriend around this man? There was literally nothing Niall could have done to talk himself out of this and still pretend to be all cool and chill, but of course, the blonde never missed a chance to still try and accidentally make it even worse. “I… I wasn’t even mad, I was just… I never thought you’d come, I… maybe for a minute, but… it doesn’t even matter, I was just… “

Very much like Niall had expected, Liam laughed, but not the mocking kinda laugh, not the ‘Alright, shut up no on cares’ kind, he sounded genuinely amused and maybe… relieved? “It’s fine if you were mad, I should have probably made myself a bit clearer. Anyways, we should get going, I’m really hungry. If you still wanna go that is, since you were talking about your bus and all.”

To say that Niall was taken off guard was a bit of an understatement, he actually froze on his spot for a moment when Liam simply reached out once more to ruffle his hair, and… what? He still wanted to hang out with Niall after this? The blonde almost made the mistake of asking, but he managed to bite his tongue this time, simply getting into the car without answering when Liam opened the door for him, staying confused as hell. Literally how had his day turned from horrible to pretty good in the matter of two seconds?

Luckily, Liam never bothered bringing up the topic of Niall acting like a whiny pissbaby once he had gotten into the driver’s seat, he seemed rather carefree and joyful and honestly, at times Liam did come off a tiny bit as if he was high 24/7. Then again, who was Niall to talk or judge, he had just made a right fool out of himself just a minute ago. “So… since I don’t know what you like to eat and since I suppose we’re not really dressed appropriately for any of the places I know… maybe you could suggest something?”

“I… “ Niall’s words got stuck in his throat, he was still fumbling with the cord of his earphones, trying not to look at Liam because it would have only made everything even harder than it already was. “There’s uh… there’s only this one burger place that I know around here, uh… if you… if you wanna go there … “

“Sure, why not? If you say it’s good then I’m gonna trust you.” Making the mistake of briefly turning his head, Niall regretted it immediately when he was met with a blinding smile, actually causing goosebumps to rise all over his body as the memories of yesterday came creeping back into Niall’s head at the least appropriate moment possible. “So… how was work today?”

It was a really short drive to the place Niall had suggested, but it seemed like ages to him, trying to somehow quickly make something up that he could actually tell Liam about his day without getting embarrassed again. Actually, he had no idea why the older man would even care, but he actually asked questions, as if he was interested, sounding quite serious as well like he always seemed to be whenever he got Niall talking about personal matters.

Sometimes Niall felt like there were two sides to Liam, the mocking side, the one that just wanted to have fun, and then the other one, where the man actually went out of his way just to be nice. It was really hard to figure the brunette out like that, when he was constantly reacting differently than Niall expected him to. 

Liam was dressed way too well for the place Niall had suggested, but it’s not like they got stared at or anything as they arrived, and if they had, it was only because of Liam’s hand being on the small of Niall’s back the whole time as they went for a free table, not once doing as much as slipping, almost as if he was scared Niall would run off or something. 

For a few minutes, everything seemed rather normal, as if Niall was just hanging out with a mate, and he actually managed to relax, his face feeling cooler again and his good mood from yesterday slowly coming back when Liam tried to read the menu with an accent just to make the blonde laugh. It worked, but probably only because Niall would have laughed at anything at this point. 

Ten minutes into them eating their food though, Liam suddenly dropped the bomb, completely out of nowhere, and yet it kinda seemed like he had had all of this planned all along. “So… there was actually something I wanted to ask you.”

“Okay… what?” Niall had almost choked trying to swallow quickly enough to answer, not really worrying that much about it though, he had his food and they were actually getting along quite well outside of work and hadn’t talked about Niall’s stupid behavior from before anymore, so… that was good.

“You know, I… I’ve gotta go to… a lot of events, like… fancy kinda events.” Liam started and Niall had no idea what he was talking about, but he tried putting on a sympathetic face as he nodded along, trying to subtly keep eating his fries without coming off as rude. “I mean, they’re not half bad, but... it can get slightly boring, at times. Anyways, there’s something next weekend, and my dad is giving a speech and… I don’t have anyone to take with me.”

“Oh.” What?

“So I was thinking, and please don’t freak out or something, if you think it’s weird, or if… I don’t know.” It wasn’t that Liam sounded nervous, more as if he was looking for the right words to tell Niall in the easiest way possible and the blonde forgot to chew for a few moments as he waited, suddenly having a really weird feeling in his guts about all of this. “I was thinking maybe you’d wanna come with me?”

“I… _me?!_ ” Niall couldn’t help it, like… what the hell? They hadn’t even seen each other that often, never outside of work besides right now and the two times Liam had driven Niall home and… what was going on?!

“Yeah, if you want to. And I know you probably have to work, but… if you take a day off and tell me how much you would have made, I promise I’ll double it.” One second, he… what?

“You… you wanna… _pay_ me to… to not go to work and instead… come with you to… an event where your… your dad is doing a speech and… what?” Had Niall not been so bloody confused, he might have been red as a tomato by now, but he was just staring at Liam now, not knowing whether he was dreaming or something, but… he could have never even made that up himself, like… what was _actually_ going on?! “Why… why would you… why would you ask _me_ and… what?!”

There was a sigh coming from Liam and he leaned back in his chair, almost sounding frustrated, but when he spoke, looking right into Niall’s eyes, there wasn’t the least bit of nervousness in them, or hesitation, he just said all of it like that, put his cards right there on the table without second guessing and had Niall known what he was about to hear, he would have probably… punched himself in the face, hard, just to check whether this was real or not.

“Look… “ Liam started, slightly pushing his plate away from himself, which couldn’t mean anything good, intertwining his fingers on the table as he stared at the blonde, not even really blinking, the smile on his face still faintly there but not really. “What I _actually_ wanted to ask wasn’t for you to come with me next weekend, that was only part of it, I didn’t wanna shock you or anything, but I guess I should probably just say it. It’s true that my dad wants me to learn how to golf, but… I probably would not have come back after the first time if it hadn’t been for you. Now that sounds really creepy, but you know, it’s kinda really difficult to meet… _normal_ people with the lifestyle I have and my workplace, it’s really stressful and there’s meetings and things to sort out literally 24/7 but I don’t want to bore you. 

“For a while now I’ve been thinking that it’d be really nice to just have someone there to go to these things with me, possibly be there when I get home after work and I’ve been in relationships, obviously, but they have all ended the same way and I’ve been thinking I’ve wanted to try something different. And since money isn’t ever gonna be an issue and I really like spending it on other people... Anyways, I wasn’t actively looking for somebody, but then I met you and, excuse me if I’m being blunt, but it was kinda obvious you’ve been attracted to me from day one, and needless to say, you’re pretty cute and I think we get along well and yesterday was really amazing. I loved how much you wanted it as well, how easily you buckle in each time I just brush you, how you’re so… _eager_.

“So, to come to the point, what I’ve been meaning to ask was whether you want to come with me next weekend, and to future events I need to attend, and possibly stay the night or, you know, come and… hang out at my place and spend the night whenever you’re free because my bed is probably more comfortable than a bathroom counter. I know you have to work and are probably busy with university as well, but I’d pay you for it, obviously, I’d buy you anything you want or need and I know exactly what this sounds like, but that’s because that’s actually exactly what I’m trying to ask.”

When Liam had finished, Niall’s jaw had long dropped and his eyes had gotten really big and as stupid as it sounded after hearing all of this, in the most serious tone of voice, all Niall could think was that… _fuck_ , Harry had been right?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey lovelies :)
> 
> i must say, im more than blown away by the fact that ive gotten so many kudos and so many nice comments for only two chapters, thank you all so much, honestly, youre all so sweet all the time and i have so much fun writing this fic and im so happy you all seem to be liking the way it turns out, so thank you so much! i really hope you enjoyed this chapter as well and especially the ending haha! i know not a lot of you have probably thought liam would be so straight forward about what he wants, but since thats kinda the main focus and i tend to write stories differently than planned and it pisses me off, i wanted to do it this way and just get it out haha!
> 
> so, i hope you all enjoyed and are going to enjoy the rest of the story as well, thank you so so much for reading/leaving kudos/commenting it really means the world to me <333
> 
> (also something else, when i was planning this fic in september, i kinda made a banner for it with two pics of niall&liam that i have in my room along with some post cards from a few friends and those images (ive taken similiar ones) actually inspired me to write the fic and i thought if anyone wants to see it then here it is haha [x](https://78.media.tumblr.com/639680189baa46b847682f3532eb570e/tumblr_inline_p0pqnbaec01rggmxj_500.jpg))


	4. Chapter 4

“You… you want to… to p-pay me to… spend… time with you?“ This HAD to be a dream, this couldn’t be real, Liam couldn’t be fucking serious, could he?! Sure, he would have had to be an excellent actor to pull that off with such a straight face, but he was really rich, he could have gotten acting classes for sure, maybe this was a prank?! Maybe Harry had set him up to this, maybe… but he couldn’t have, Liam had that car for real and those expensive clothes and… oh god.

“Well, if you put it that way… kind of.” Liam shrugged, but his eyes never left Niall’s face, watching his every movement, the way the blonde tried to catch his breath, rubbing at his cheeks because they had never been burning up this incredibly much. 

“Um… why?” He could have asked ANYONE, in the whole entire world, looking like that and having that much money and being actually a nice guy and… none of this made any sense to Niall.

There was a smirk on Liam’s face, only briefly though, as if he was happy that Niall had not yet shot him down, but how could the blonde have done that? When he wasn’t even sure whether any of this was for real?! “I like you, you’re cute and funny. And like I said, I really enjoy how eager you are to kiss me all the time and get me naked, and besides that, my dad already knows you and just for once he’d probably actually be able to make conversation with someone I bring along.”

“I… “ Had he chosen Niall because is DAD liked him?! “Did you… did you ever… uh… do… _this_ with, uh, someone else?”

“No. Like I said before, I’ve had plenty relationships, some serious some not so much, but they have all ended the same exact way, I work too much, I’m never at home, I have to travel too much, blah, blah, blah. You know, the usual.” It didn’t sound like Liam cared at all, but on the other hand… he had just offered to PAY Niall to keep him company, that didn’t really sound like somebody who didn’t care. “But it’d be different with you because it wouldn’t be a relationship, not a romantic one anyways, it’d be like… a business relationship, I figured I’d probably be better at those anyways.”

“I… right.” Oh god, was Liam brilliant or was he just fucking crazy? Niall honestly couldn’t tell anymore, he was way too busy trying to figure out why in God’s name he was considering to just say yes. He wasn’t even feeling that embarrassed anymore, just bloody confused and desperately trying to figure the older man out, which, Niall had to realize right then and there, he would probably never be able to. 

“You don’t have to say yes, you know. You can also say no and I might just keep coming by to play some golf once a while, it’s kinda not that bad.” Hearing Liam say that, again as if he wouldn’t give one single damn if Niall said no, made the blonde want to say yes even more, a rush of jealousy coming over him as he thought about the brunette simply looking for somebody else. Honestly, he wasn’t even the least bit disappointed that Liam didn’t turn out to have a secret crush on him, that this right here had never been intended to be a date, the brunette wasn’t looking for a relationship with anybody obviously, but Niall just felt so damn flattered that Liam wanted _him_ to… do this.

“I… I just… “ Niall fought for words, looking down at his hands as he was playing with his glass on the table, fearing that Liam might just drop the topic, that the blonde would never get a chance to really think about it. So he just had to keep asking while trying to make up his mind. “What… what exactly would you… want me to do?”

“Nothing, really. Just come with me whenever I gotta go to an event or have to give speeches, or when I have to travel. I’ll pay for all of it obviously, also for appropriate clothes and stuff. I’m at work mostly all day but you can also spend the night whenever you want, I’ve got more than one spare room you can use if you want.” Okay, alright, this was getting out of hand, Niall was very well aware that Liam DID mean they could have sex whenever he got home from work and that Niall could sleep in a spare room _afterwards_ , but it also sounded as if… as if he was asking him to move in or something, which was… more than just crazy. 

“Where do you… have to travel?” Deciding to ignore the second part for now, Niall tried to focus on something else that wasn’t his favorite crooked smile appearing on Liam’s face, as if he thought he had already wrapped the blonde around his little finger. Maybe he had. 

“A ton of places. Switzerland, France, the U.S., you name it. We’ve got a lot of business partners all over world, I also give speeches there and stuff like that, but there’s always a lot of time to see the cities I’m in as well.” Was he trying to convince Niall? Because he was definitely succeeding. “Look, Niall. Again, you really don’t have to say yes, if that’s… not something you wanna do. I was just thinking we get along well and it could be fun, it’s not like I wanna give you rules about what I want you to do and when, we can just… figure it out. I’m just kinda tired of travelling alone and as much as I don’t miss the drama and the fights about my past relationships, I do kinda miss having somebody there when I get home, having someone to spend my money on and someone who takes my mind off of work for a bit.”

“So… “ Shit, when Liam said it like that, he made it sound even more appealing than it already was, but still, there was something that kept Niall from agreeing, that thing Harry had said and even though it seemed beyond rude, he couldn’t help blurting out with it. Just so… just so he knew that they REALLY were talking about the same thing here. “You… you want to, uh… I really don’t, um… mean this in a bad way, I just… wanna know if… if I really understand what you’re saying, you… you basically want to, uh… be like… m-my… sugar daddy?”

For a second or two, Niall could actually feel himself getting dizzy, never having regretted saying something out loud THIS extremely much and he honestly thought Liam would slap him or something, but instead… the older man just belted out a laugh. “See, that’s why I know I picked the right one. But, I guess, if you wanna call it that… it’d be the truth, I suppose, yes. Although, it’s kinda different as well because I know you would sleep with me even if I didn’t pay you for it.”

Oh god, had he just… really admitted it? Had confirmed Harry’s suspicion that had probably been a joke anyways? This couldn’t be real, there was no bloody way. “I… I mean… I… I would…”

“I know. It’s fine, Niall, no need to freak out, okay? I’m not like super old or anything, we’re only five years apart, we’d be more like… friends with benefits. And I’d just be a rich friend that pays for everything.” Right, that didn’t make it sound any better to be honest. 

“Okay, but, uh… what… what would your parents say or… everyone you know, I… “ Surely, they were all really professional people and Liam probably couldn’t turn up one day dragging along a 22 year old college student with a bank account balance of 50 pounds and tell everyone that he was his… _sugar baby_. God, just the thought of that gave Niall the chills.

“Well, you’d actually be surprised just how many people I’ve met who have done exactly that, only… they had about five times the age difference.” For a moment, Liam stopped, just shaking his head for a moment as Niall looked up with a red face, not knowing what to make of this. “We wouldn’t tell anybody of course, I’d tell everyone you’re my boyfriend and it’d all be good.”

“Y-Your... boyfriend?!” WHAT?!

“Yeah, sure. I’ll buy you a really expensive suit and show you off to everyone next weekend and you’re gonna be part of the club in no time, which isn’t really as great as it sounds, but you know.” No, Niall did NOT know, he was just afraid his eyes might pop out any second, like, had he really said, SHOW Niall off?! How… how could Liam be so calm while talking about all of this? Had he already planned all of this out before even asking Niall because it really sounded like he had. “Are you okay? You know that’s just hypothetical if you decide you wanna give it a shot, right?”

“I-I… I know, I… I was just, um… surprised?” Niall tried, hoping he had not made it sound like he was going to say no, because… he wanted to say yes, so _badly_. He _wanted_ Liam to buy him a really expensive suit and introduce him to everyone as his boyfriend and he _wanted_ Liam to be proud of him and reward him afterwards when they got back to the older man’s place, which was probably a mansion or something. It’s not that Niall was in love with Liam or something, he didn’t really know what it was, but… something about this man just made him want to do absolutely anything he said just so Liam would be pleased. Unfortunately, that’s not what Niall decided to say out loud. “I… I was just thinking, because, um… I mean… if you tell people I’m your boyfriend, uh… I always thought that… that rich people are really… conservative? That they would uh… be kinda… upset if… if you bring… well… me.”

“No, it’s not like that, don’t worry. I’ve had a boyfriend before, my parents weren’t too happy about it but they also weren’t happy with my girlfriends, so it really wasn’t about the gender. It’s true that it’s probably frowned upon by some people I work with, but they know not to say anything, and they would never dare to either. And the majority doesn’t care, they’d all be super nice to you, just because you belong to me.” God, was Niall supposed to feel this way after the last thing Liam had said? 

“Right, I… I was just… wondering.” Niall was now busy ripping apart his napkin and Liam was just chuckling across the table, their food long forgotten and probably having gone cold by now. It seemed to Niall as if they had been sitting here for ages already, when it had probably only been an hour or something.

“I know, I get it, I probably shouldn’t have asked you like that, but… I felt like simply inviting you to come with me next weekend would have probably left you with a lot of questions, and I wanted to make sure you know what you wanna do before that. So now it’s really up to you, you can think about it if you want, or ask me anything else you want to, I want you to be comfortable.” The thing was, Niall kinda was really comfortable? Maybe even more than any time before, because… now he suddenly knew that Liam sort of enjoyed snogging him and getting off with him and he also must have liked him as a person and… it felt really good. 

“I… “ Niall started, he knew what he wanted to say, just one word, but instead he was biting his lip, knowing it’d start bleeding any second, twisting his fingers together as he tried to come at terms with himself, tried to be okay with it and be aware of the consequences. It was so stupid, and he hadn’t really been thinking about it in depth at all and he should have just left, like he would have had anybody ever asked him that before he had met Liam. But somehow he couldn’t, somehow, he knew that he would regret saying no more than as if he would just say yes. “I think, I… I think that, um… that I’d… like to try it… yeah.” 

“You don’t have to decide right now, you can think about it for a few days if you want.” God, why was Liam being so nice about it, like yeah, maybe that wasn’t the most normal conversation to have but… the older man’s behavior really only made Niall want to say yes even more.

“No, I… I really want to.” Niall blurted out, slightly embarrassed, even more so when he briefly looked up just to see Liam’s smile and then the chuckle that escaped him and god, how could Niall have said no to this? It was really irresponsible and fucking crazy and he was pretty sure Harry would slap him in the face, but… it seemed absolutely impossible to say no to this man.

“Alright, you can back out any time you want to, obviously, also tomorrow if you wake up and-“

“I won’t.” Honestly, Niall didn’t know where this sudden confidence came from, he felt pretty blushed and his stomach was twisting into knots, hands kind of shaky, but now that he had said yes, he almost felt euphoric, didn’t even want Liam to try and give him more time to think because… maybe tomorrow he WOULD wake up and have doubts. 

“Well… I’m not saying I wouldn’t be pleased if you’re that sure.” Liam laughed again, he sounded kinda more carefree now, as if he was really happy that Niall had agreed, but probably also because the blonde hadn’t yelled at him or stormed out. Maybe that would have been the normal reaction actually, but Niall couldn’t help that his cheeks were getting hotter just at the thought of actually doing this, of fucking taking days off of work just to spend time with Liam and… have sex with him. Who did that? “Don’t worry, ‘m not gonna go find someone else from one day to the other even if you said you needed time to think about it. Also, if you ever, you know, really don’t have any time, because of uni or something, then that’s fine as well, it’s not like… I’m gonna make you sign a contract or something.”

God, why was the idea of signing a contract such a turn on for Niall?! He was kinda so disturbed by that side of him that he only discovered since he had met Liam, but on the other hand… it got him all squirmy with excitement. “I… I’m sure I… that I’ll have time and… I can just, um… work less and… or actually… only work one day a week and then… I’ll have time.”

“It’s fine, whatever you wanna do, you know? I’ll make sure to tell you whenever I’ve got to go somewhere ahead of time. And whenever you have time in between, like, during the week, you can also sleep over if you want, really whenever you feel like it.” So basically… Liam wouldn’t have minded if Niall just never left again, that’s exactly what it sounded like and the blonde still couldn’t believe that he wasn’t dreaming any of this. 

“Where um… where do you live?” He surely lived in London, like, inside the city or maybe a bit outside, and Niall had barely ever been there because it was expensive as hell and he couldn’t afford anything anyways, but he wouldn’t actually need THAT long into the city, maybe an hour or a bit less. 

“Outside of London. But don’t worry, I can send someone to pick you up whenever you want, or you call yourself an Uber, which I’ll pay, obviously. Or you can also use public transport, if… you know, if that’s what you wanna do, I’ll make sure to put enough money on your card.” Liam shrugged and he made it all sound so damn easy that Niall kinda questioned why they hadn’t talked about this like two weeks earlier. “But don’t worry, I’ll come pick you up on Saturday morning and show you where I live. Oh, and we’ll probably have to buy you something to wear as well before the event.”

“Oh… right, I… “ Oh god, it only now occurred to Niall that he would first of all have to call his boss and tell him he couldn’t come to work, but then even worse, he would have to tell Harry, before next Saturday and… how the hell should he tell his very best friend that the 27 year old potential millionaire who at the same time was a customer at Niall’s work was now his… sugar daddy? Like… did anyone even decide that, in the matter of a few seconds like Niall had? “Just tell me when and… I’ll be awake.”

“You can sleep in if you want, we only have to be there at nine or something. You’ll sleep over, right?” The way Liam asked, Niall saw no way to say no even if he had wanted to, which he didn’t, because he was fucking itching to sleep over at Liam’s place and… god, maybe Niall was like, a sex addict or something, and he only found out about it now? Surely, there was something that had to be wrong with him, but he didn’t even care right now.

“Yeah, I… if… if you want me to.” Well, that question had just been stupid, hadn’t it?

“Of course. Like I said, whenever you want, during the week, weekends… actually, I’ll give you my spare key, I’m not always home at the same time after work, but you can still come over if you want and… do whatever, you know.” How was he putting this much trust into Niall? That he seemed to _want_ the boy to stay over even when he was still at work, maybe… maybe so he’d know someone was waiting for him? “Anyways, now that we talked about all of this… the food’s probably gone cold.”

“Oh… yeah… “ Niall didn’t care, he wasn’t even hungry anymore, he wanted to ask Liam so many questions all at one, but he somehow didn’t know how to actually get himself to say them out loud so he simply didn’t, trying to contain himself. He was just really happy about how all of this had turned out, he had no idea what any of this would be like or what was going to happen in the future, but for now, it was probably the most exciting thing Niall could even think about. “I… I don’t mind it though… it still tastes fine.”

“I can get you something else if you want.” Liam said it just like that, watching Niall as the blonde made himself eat some more fries even if his stomach already felt really full, making sure to thank Liam as he told him once more that he’d be fine. Actually, he wanted to do nothing more besides snog Liam right now, but… right here was probably not the best time to initiate something. “So, tell me something about your uni classes.”

It seemed to be so natural for Liam, to just pick up normal conversation again and though Niall’s heart was still beating really fast, he tried to answer as normally as possible, again feeling really flattered that the older man seemed so interested, that he nodded along and asked questions, as if anything that came out of the blonde’s mouth was essential for him to know.

Of course Liam paid for the whole food and Niall didn’t even try to offer that he could pay for his own, just made sure to thank the older man, three times actually, because he did feel a little bit guilty afterwards. Which quickly passed though, once Liam had driven him home afterwards, not letting Niall get out of the car without simply kissing him on the lips.

“I’ll text you, yeah? See you on Saturday.” He half whispered against the younger’s mouth before pecking it one more time, pulling away with a smirk on his face and Niall just nodded, his head feeling dizzy and kinda foggy as he half stumbled out of the car. 

How was he ever going to make himself believe that this day had actually happened?

 

\-----------------

 

There were many times Niall planned on telling Harry about his… arrangement with Liam, throughout the whole next week, but he simply didn’t have the balls to do it, not even after practicing what he was going to say.

Unlike expected, Niall never woke up with regrets, not for a second doubted his own choice about saying yes to what Liam had offered him, if anything, he got more excited thinking about it each day, whenever he saw a text from Liam lightening up his phone. Which wasn’t too often, the man was at work almost all day long, but he did sometimes text Niall good morning and at night, well… his texts definitely started to get dirtier when it got later, giving the blonde even more reason to wish that Saturday would come sooner. 

But there was also reason enough to wish that it would never come. 

“I can’t believe you made me go to the library on a _Friday_ night, Nialler, remind me again why we’re doing this?” Harry’s head had been buried in his arms on the table since like 15 minutes now, not at all contributing to what they were doing.

“We’re here because you have a presentation next week and haven’t spent just one second on it, so it’s your own fault that we’re here, Haz. Besides, I’m the one doing it all by myself, so you really have no reason to complain.” Obviously, Harry could have done it by himself, but… ever since last Sunday, Niall had started to feel guiltier each day for not telling his best friend, so now he was here, in an empty library, surrounded by books and both their laptops, Harry sitting opposite of him, half asleep. 

“I would have done it on the weekend… we could have also gone to the library tomorrow, or on Sunday.” Yeah, about that… “Or do you have to work all day again? You know, you could just tell that Liam guy that he needs to leave because you’re always working extra shifts for him.” 

“I… I need the money though.” Niall quickly answered, pretending to be really busy reading that passage in one of the books when he really wasn’t seeing anything at all except red as he thought about what Harry’s reaction was going to be like. Best case scenario, he would make fun of Niall for the rest of his life, worst case… he’d never talk to him again. 

“For what? He’s giving you so much tip, you wouldn’t even have to work again for the next two months or something.” Okay, now Harry was exaggerating, but somehow he also wasn’t without even knowing it because Niall could have probably just quit his job altogether now and… who knows, maybe he would have, but he really enjoyed golfing, so… 

“That’s… not even true and you know it.” Just as Niall had finished, his phone lying on the table lit up, which luckily went by unnoticed by the other boy because he still had his face hidden, so Niall tried to be quiet as he picked it up, feeling himself getting hot as he read the text messages, only now realizing how late it already was.

 

_Liam 10:46 pm  
I’ll pick you up at 11 tomorrow! Sleep tight, don’t dream too much about me ;) xx_

 

Even through text messages, Liam easily made Niall blush and he was probably very aware of it. Only this way, Niall was actually able to respond without letting it show too much. Right, he really had to tell Harry, he couldn’t postpone it any longer, they’d be going to their room soon and then sleep and… there was no backing out, Niall would have to just get himself together for a minute or two and then it’d be done. 

“Hey, Haz, I…. I wanted to talk to you about something, actually.” Niall started a few minutes later after having texted Liam back, his hands immediately starting to shake a tiny bit as he tried to somewhat come off as confident. It’s just… how the hell was he supposed to tell anybody about this?

“Ugh… can’t that wait until tomorrow? I really just wanna get into bed right now, I would have already been asleep if you hadn’t said anything.” Harry’s voice sounded muffled, and yeah, it was kinda rude of him to sleep when Niall was doing HIS presentation, but on the other hand… at least he hadn’t been kind of lying to the blonde for a whole week.

“No, I… it can’t. I just… I wanted tell you that… you know, tomorrow, I… “ Shit, Niall was really getting nervous now, like… would he have to use the word… sugar daddy? Did he have to mention the money or the sex or… the fact that they had gotten off together a week ago, which he also hadn’t told Harry about yet? Would it make him a really bad friend if he… omitted some parts? “I’ll probably… be gone almost all day long and then, um… at night, I-“

“Oh, sorry, we can’t hang out tomorrow night, I forgot to tell you, I’m staying over at this guy’s place. He says he just wants to study, but… you know, who knows what will happen.” Wait… what?

“What… what guy are we talking about?” Alright, Niall had not expected that at all, to simply be cut off and be told that actually his best friend had made plans without telling him also and Niall really had no right to be upset, but… he kinda was.

“The one I’ve been telling you about? Since two _weeks_?” Finally, Harry did lift his head, eyebrows lifted as he stared at Niall before rolling his eyes when the blonde just stared at him, kind of confused and really taken off guard. “Mate, maybe you really need to stop hanging out with that Payne guy, ever since you started snogging him you don’t even listen to anything I’m saying anymore.”

“I… I _am_ listening to you, I just… I… “ Right, Niall had absolutely no bloody idea when Harry had ever mentioned some guy, but then again, Harry had those random guy stories going on all the time and though it was very true that Niall’s head had been kinda somewhere else ever since he had met Liam, he was pretty damn sure that Harry couldn’t have mentioned any of this in great detail. “I… who’s the guy?”

“Just someone I met at the bakery, he studies here though.” Harry shrugged, seemingly not bothered anymore that Niall hadn’t been listening to him that well before. “Anyways, I’ll probably be gone when you get home, so… “

“I… okay.” Now was Niall’s chance, to just correct Harry, tell him that he also wouldn’t be there, because he was spending the night with another man who happened to be Liam and who happened to _pay_ him for it, but then the moment suddenly passed and Harry was stretching his limbs, not really giving Niall the chance to speak up. He could have, if he had really wanted to, but… apparently he really liked to feel guilty.

“I’ll make sure to tell you how it was, can’t be that you’re the only one who’s getting some lately, right?” It was a joke, but Niall had to actually force himself to chuckle, actually feeling quite terrible. God, he was such a coward, he would have to tell Harry at some point and he was only making it worse by waiting, but… that didn’t make Niall any braver. “Can we go? I’m really tired.”

“Yeah, uh… I guess ‘m pretty much done with it anyways, just… help me put these back?” Niall had no idea what to think as he collected the books off of the table as he got up, handing half of them to Harry, kinda glad that they had to go to different shelves to put them back. Shit, could this actually get any worse? Obviously Niall was still excited about seeing Liam tomorrow, but he had _planned_ to have told Harry before that and now he’d be extra nervous when Liam would introduce him to all these rich people tomorrow, and his bloody parents. Oh god.

While walking back to their dorm room, Harry filled the whole way with conversation, barely even noticing when Niall didn’t really answer because he was so lost in thoughts. Of course Harry thanked him for basically preparing his whole presentation, he even tackled Niall on his bed later, kissing his cheek just to make the blonde complain.

Harry had fallen asleep within like 10 minutes, snoring quietly across the room while Niall was just lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling in complete darkness, trying to come to terms with himself. It didn’t quite work out so well.

 

\--------------

 

“… Hello?” Niall half mumbled into his phone, not even fully awake just yet, not quite sure if his phone had even been going off or whether it had just been his alarm. Honestly, he felt as if he had only slept for like 3 hours, which didn’t seem to be so unlikely seeing as he had been lying awake for what had felt like ages.

“Hey, sorry, did I wake you?” It was Liam’s voice and Niall almost fell out of bed, his eyes literally shooting open as he held in a breath. Liam had never called him before and the blonde really had not expected to hear his voice, but of course it immediately got him kinda nervous but also excited and at the same time… a little bit scared.

“I… kind of, but... wait, how late is it?” Oh god, had Niall overslept? What if it was really late and now Liam was pissed at him and-

“Sorry about that, it’s a little after 10. I’m walking to my car, just wanted to make sure you’ll be awake when I get there.” Liam chuckled, giving Niall chills even over the bloody phone and the blonde absolutely hated just how much of an effect this man had on him. 

“Yeah, of course, I… I’ll be ready.” And probably on the edge of freaking out because Niall was absolutely dying to see where Liam lived, but he wasn’t really too keen on dressing really posh and going to an event with only rich people, but… that had been what they had agreed on, and Liam wanted him to come along, he wanted Niall to do this and no one else so the blonde tried to let that pride overtake his nervousness.

“Take another nap if you want though, there’ll probably be traffic, I can call you again in half an hour or so.” Liam was being so nice, almost as if he sounded guilty about having woken Niall up and the blonde almost wanted to agree and just close his eyes, but he really should have taken a shower and brushed his teeth a few times. “Don’t forgot to bring extra clothes for tomorrow… or actually, you don’t have to, I can buy you something new.”

“I… I’ll pack extra clothes.” Niall decided quickly as he sat up, rubbing at his eyes, for just a moment panicking as he looked across the room, feeling incredibly relieved when he saw Harry’s bed being empty. Right, the other boy was at work, luckily, and he probably hadn’t questioned Niall sleeping in because he always started way later than him anyways. Niall really did not deserve the odds being so much in his favor right now. 

Once Liam had hung up the phone because he had started the car, Niall just sat on his bed for a few minutes, staring at the now black display of his phone, trying to control his breathing and his heart beat. Not only had he lied to his best friend, he also had Liam picking him up in about an hour to buy him some expensive as shit clothes and then probably fuck him in his bed later at night after introducing him to his parents as his boyfriend.

All of that was a little bit much to take in.

Niall showered for like 20 minutes in the end, in an attempt to relax his muscles a little bit, brushing his teeth twice as long as normally before almost losing his cool when he realized that he had nothing at all to wear. Usually Liam always saw him in his working clothes and then afterwards they were just in the car together, but now they’d walk into a store together and Niall couldn’t just look like a college student, not with Liam looking like a fucking Greek god next to him.

In the end, Liam had to wait more than 5 minutes for Niall to finally get down onto the street, having a backpack slung over one shoulder, not having to look very long to find the older man’s car obviously. Hopefully no one saw him getting in because Niall did kinda feel weird for just a moment as he went for the door handle, suddenly not so sure anymore whether it had been such a good idea to agree to accompanying the older man to more than just this one event.

Then again, Niall wanted this, he knew he did, he was just bloody nervous and had no idea what to expect and that was normal, right? If only he could have talked to Harry about it, even if he would have probably just made fun of the blonde anyways.

“Sorry for being late… “ The blonde mumbled as he half climbed onto the passenger seat, feeling a small smile forming on his lips though when he saw Liam’s face. Okay, he had somehow gotten even more stunning during the last five days, however the hell that was even possible.

“No worries, we’ve got tons of time anyways.” And then Liam simply grinned, not even letting Niall put his seat belt on before he had already leaned across their seats, his lips landing straight on top of the younger boy’s, hand momentarily cupping the blonde’s already burning cheek. That was definitely the last thing he had been expecting to happen. “How’re you doing? Nervous?”

“Um… a bit.” Niall decided, looking down as he felt Liam’s thumb rubbing over his skin briefly before the older man simply leaned back in his seat once more, the smirk not having changed in the slightest way. Of course.

“Don’t be. It’ll be fine, I promise, I’ll be there the whole time and if you do decide you really don’t wanna do it anymore sometime in between then just let me know, yeah?” His words were reassuring, but Niall still knew that backing out wasn’t an option. He still appreciated it though, feeling himself calming down slightly, Liam’s presence somehow making him feel both nervous but also really comfortable. “Did you tell your best friend about what you’re doing?”

“Ummm… no, I… I didn’t.” After putting his seatbelt on, Niall was forced to keep his eyes straight out of the window, feeling kind of a new rush of guilt overcoming him even though Liam chuckled as he started the car. Somehow, Niall felt like he had to explain himself, like… he didn’t want Liam to think he was embarrassed about their arrangement, he was just unsure and nervous. “Just because, uh… well… I didn’t really know what to say and… he… Harry’s gone until tomorrow anyways and I… I didn’t really have a chance to tell him, so… “

“Well, you don’t have to tell him if you don’t want to.” The older man offered and it sounded kinda comforting but of course it didn’t really help Niall to simply move on from it. “I haven’t told Louis about it either.”

“Oh… why not?” Right, Louis was Liam’s best friend, he had barely ever mentioned him, only briefly sometimes, but it was fairly easy to remember everything about Liam’s private life because he kept most of it hidden anyways.

“I didn’t really have a chance to either. We only saw each other at work and there were other people around, but… he’s gonna be there tonight as well, actually. But don’t worry, you’re gonna get along great.” Somehow Niall really doubted that, though he knew absolutely nothing about this guy, but he still had to swallow quite thickly as he thought about what would happen if Liam’s best friend hated him. Or even worse, his parents. “Try not to think about it too much, it helps.”

“Yeah, I… I’m trying.” The blonde half choked out, again making Liam laugh and then causing Niall’s breath to stop completely when he easily reached over while driving, hand coming to a rest on the blonde’s upper leg, squeezing only briefly but it was enough to almost cause the younger boy to faint. If he couldn’t even take that, what was he going to do tonight?

“What’d your boss say about you not coming in today?” Right, that was a whole other story.

“Well, I… I thought that… that he’d be a bit pissed off, but… he was just, um… he was just worried that… that _you_ would be upset about… about me not coming.” Niall had called his boss on Monday actually, making sure to tell him ahead of time, and it had been the most uncomfortable conversation ever, but at the same time, he had also been incredibly relieved afterwards to have at least one thing ticked off of his list. Little did his boss now that that wasn’t going to be a one-time thing. “He, um… he thinks you really… lift our image.”

“How very nice of him.” Liam chuckled, not sounding upset or anything, he just seemed incredibly amused by this whole story. “You can turn the radio on if you want, y’know, I don’t mind.” 

Everything in Liam’s car looked so expensive and clean that Niall was actually afraid to fully have his shoes touching the ground, but he still forced himself to turn the radio on, partly also because he was kinda really interested what kinda music Liam was into. Well, he probably wouldn’t tell Niall, but it was a one-hour car journey, and he was too tired and too nervous about tonight, he couldn’t fill all of it with talking.

In the end, they actually needed a lot longer than an hour, but Niall didn’t question it and also, he didn’t really mind. He always needed a bit of time to warm up again whenever he hadn’t seen Liam for a few days, but once he did, he really enjoyed himself. Plus, Liam apparently had a lot to say and a lot to ask and when the older man stopped the car in a parking lot, Niall felt like he had been revealing so much about his life that Liam could have written a book about him. 

“Do people… always stare this much, when you get out of the car?” Niall couldn’t help but ask, his legs feeling a bit weak from sitting for so long, but also because he had no idea what to expect now. A part of him kinda felt like he shouldn’t let Liam buy him expensive clothes in what looked like an expensive mall for rich people, but then again… it’s not like he had been asking for them.

“I don’t know, I don’t really notice.” Liam simply shrugged as he walked around the car, apparently not having seen those people over there almost falling over because they had been staring this extremely much. “Maybe they’ve been looking at you.”

“Yeah, right…. “ Though Niall pretended to be annoyed as he rolled his eyes, in reality his cheeks were turning red, even more so when the brunette simply came over with a smirk, loosely wrapping his arm around Niall’s shoulder as if that was a normal thing for them to do, walk like that, so close that Niall could smell the older’s cologne whenever he breathed in.

“They’ll definitely be staring whenever we walk out of here.” He said it like he knew it was killing Niall inside, to be this close to him, in freaking public for _anyone_ to see, and trying to act somewhat normally, but it didn’t really work when the older man used that kinda voice on him, squeezing his shoulders.

This was so crazy, Niall would have been scared about anybody he knew seeing him here, but the truth was, he was 100% certain that nobody from uni would ever come here. And if they did, they probably wouldn’t think it was Niall anyways, looking like trash next to Liam, who seemed to be in the best mood ever and not at all embarrassed to have his arm around a 22-year-old student with horrible clothing taste. Maybe that was why Liam wanted to buy him clothes so desperately.

Was it rude, that Niall hadn’t even brought his wallet? He had simply left everything in the car besides his phone, not even really thinking about it until the moment they actually walked into the mall. Then again, Niall was pretty sure he could have not afforded whatever Liam wanted him to wear so… what was the point in pretending? And Liam had said he liked to spend his money on people, so maybe he would have even gotten offended or something, better not risk it.

“You don’t have to wear a suit tonight if you don’t want to, you know. I mean, you’ll probably need one at some point, but… “ After Liam had led Niall into the most expensive looking store ever, he slowly let his arm slip from around the blonde, almost causing him to panic but he actually placed his palm on the small of Niall’s back, as if to give him some reassurance that he was still there.

“I… I literally have no clue what kinda… clothes would be appropriate, so… “ Making some weird movement with his hand and almost knocking over a mannequin, Niall basically wanted to tell Liam to just choose for him without sounding too weird. Honestly though, and maybe that was really strange, but Niall would have worn anything that Liam told him to wear. Literally anything. “Maybe… maybe you should just… decide for me?”

“If you want me to.” There was that smile again, the crooked one, and Liam actually seemed to be really happy with what Niall had said. “Should we get a shop assist-“

“No.” Without even thinking about it, Niall had stopped Liam from going into the direction had planned, somehow automatically putting his hand on the older’s stomach, almost panicking though. The very last thing he wanted was for Liam to get a shop assistant who would look at Niall all judgingly and probably figure out what was going on between them and just… no thanks. “I-I mean… we don’t… we don’t need one, right?”

For a moment, Liam didn’t say anything, he just looked at Niall, studying his face for a second before rubbing his back a bit, simply leaning in so he could kiss Niall’s forehead. Yep, his _forehead_. “You’re so cute. C’mon.”

They ended up with Liam turning down three shop assistants trying to help them and Niall simply running after the older man like a puppy, trying not to look at any of the other customers, or at _anything_ for that matter, especially not the price tags. Liam was all in his element though, so obviously Niall told him that everything he showed him was _great_ , even if all the brunette did was laugh at him, looking right through his facade like he always did.

He didn’t make Niall carry any of the clothes though, which was kinda funny because whenever they had spent time together before, Niall had been the one carrying Liam’s stuff and now… right, thinking about work, if his boss found out about why he had really taken the day off, Niall was absolutely screwed. Or maybe he wouldn’t be, maybe he would think Niall had seduced Liam just to make sure he stayed a member at the golf center or something, that’d sound quite like him.

“Right, you wanna try these on? We can also go to another store afterwards.” Liam was really desperate to spend money on Niall, wasn’t he?

“No, I… sure, yeah, I’ll try them on.” Still red faced as hell, Niall almost ran into a wall this time when they went to the changing rooms and just for once, Liam didn’t laugh at him, he actually threw quite a sympathetic look at the blonde, not wiping that grin off of his face though. 

“You need any help with that?” Was that supposed to sound dirty? And why did Niall kinda wish it did?

“I… I think I’ll manage.” For now at least, Niall was kinda overwhelmed again when Liam handed him the clothes, almost causing him to drop half of them of course. How was he ever even going to try all of that on? And what if Liam insisted on buying more for him than just something for tonight, like… oh god, Niall had definitely not been prepared for any of this.

It was kind of a relief to Niall, to pull the curtain and stand in the changing room by himself for just a second, catching his breath and feeling more than embarrassed about all those red patches that had formed on his face and neck and that he could now see very well in the mirror. Right, this would be fine, those were just clothes, right?

Again, Niall tried not to look at the price tags once he was standing there in just boxer shorts, suddenly realizing how stupid he had been to turn Liam’s help down. How was he supposed to know what went together? It was just a big pile of clothes that he had never seen a normal person wear on a daily basis.

After a minute or two of just staring and biting at his thumbnail, Niall simply pulled out some black pants that looked rather normal, deciding that he would have to start putting these clothes on at some point, so… he might as well get started.

Liam had been really good at guessing Niall’s size, maybe the pants were slightly too big, but Niall was just relieved that they looked rather normal on him and that they weren’t any crazy color or fabric, only now the problem was… what had Liam intended for them go with? 

Niall silently argued with himself for what seemed like ages before he decided that he would rather not embarrass himself any further today, his voice sounding kinda thin. “Umm… hey, Liam?”

“Yeah? Are you done?” It sounded like he had been sitting down outside or something, and Niall immediately regretted having called him for help, even if he knew that it was actually no big deal.

“Not… really. I think… I kinda need your help.” A second after it was out, Liam had already pulled the curtain to the side, only enough for him to slip in, looking worried for just a single second before he looked at the pile of clothing, and then at Niall. “I kinda… have no idea what you, uh, wanted me to wear with anything, so… “

“You can just stay like this if you want.” Oh, of course, he was going to start like that now, winking at the blonde as he shamelessly stared at him, the changing room so small that he was standing right in front of the blonde after taking only one single step, pretending like he had just been wanting to see how those pants looked on him. Maybe Niall really had a condition or something, surely, his breathing shouldn’t always have stopped so abruptly? “Looks good though… and actually, you can wear anything with it that I picked out, it all kinda goes together anyways.”

“Oh… okay.” Not very helpful at all, especially now that Liam was in here with him, not making any attempts to leave or do anything at all except for staring at Niall and the blonde suddenly became really aware of the fact that he wasn’t wearing anything besides pants and that Liam had never really seen him like that.

Well, obviously, that one time in the bathroom, but they had been in the middle of making out and Liam had been standing way too close to really look at Niall that much, so… it was very different now. Niall had never thought about whether he was going to feel intimidated, if Liam actually saw him like, _full on_ naked, so now it seemed a little bit too late to worry about that. 

“I… I still don’t know… what to wear.” Niall confessed after a moment of silence, him pretending to be looking at the clothes even though he really couldn’t see them that well without looking through. Right, he probably should have not just dumped them there and actually hung them up, he was literally doing _everything_ wrong being Liam’s… sugar baby or whatever it was called.

“Hmm… “ Was all Liam made, suddenly stepping even more into Niall’s space and before the blonde even knew it, he flinched a tiny bit as Liam’s hand came to a rest on his bare hip. His palm wasn’t cold at all, it was actually really warm, but Niall had not been expecting to be touched, had even less expected for Liam to step in so close that his lips almost seemed to be brushing Niall’s ear. “Well… I could pick something for you then, if you want me to.”

“I… o-okay… “ To be quite honest, Niall actually hadn’t even been listening anymore, he finally forced himself to turn his head towards Liam, their noses almost blushing because of how close they were. The last thing the blonde had thought was for Liam to get intimate in a changing room of an expensive clothing store, but then again… of course he was exactly that kinda person, it really fit.

Liam didn’t really do anything at all, he just waited, for Niall’s eyes to flatter close, and even then he didn’t kiss his lips even though the blonde was already trembling, he opted for his cheek instead, and then his jaw, so subtly making Niall move that he only noticed whenever his back was suddenly hitting the wall, softly though, so no one would hear. This was literally unreal, everything leading up to this moment had already been more than overwhelming, but this right here was the highlight of it all. How had Niall gotten here, dressed in only designer jeans in a dressing room, with a millionaire graduate from Oxford pressing him up against the wall?

“’s really inappropriate… “ Liam mumbled against Niall’s skin as he pressed open mouth kisses to the younger’s neck and obviously Niall made sure to give him even more access by leaning his head back, eyes pressed closed as he bit his lip, trying not to make any sound. “You letting me touch you like this… in public, with only that curtain… “

It seemed to turn Liam on, kissing Niall and touching him in public places. Before, they hadn’t really had an option but somewhere on the golf course, but Liam was literally about to take Niall to his own place and yet it seemed like he couldn’t wait. Which was a good thing, because Niall really didn’t want to wait either.

“Yeah… “ Was all the blonde brought out, gasping quietly as Liam bit into his skin, gently, his thumb rubbing circles into Niall’s hip and the younger boy made sure loosely hold onto Liam because his knees were getting weak as usual. 

He was definitely teasing Niall, just biting and sucking on his neck, completely ignoring his lips for now and the blonde almost thought Liam would leave it at that, just have the blonde whine a bit, hoping for more as Liam’s hot tongue massaged his flushed skin and his teeth were grazing along his neck and then he’d just pull away with that smirk, pretend like he hadn’t even done anything.

But no, Liam’s plans turned out to be way worse.

There was undoubtedly a mark when the older man detached his lips from Niall, leaving a wet, pulsing spot that was quickly forgotten when Liam’s lips finally pressed against Niall’s instead and the younger’s arms moved around the brunette’s neck, fingers curling into his hair as he tried to keep him closer, willingly letting his jaw relax for him. At this point, after only five minutes, Niall had already forgotten where they even were. 

Liam kissed him deeply, hard, like he always did, his tongue all up on Niall’s mouth, leaving him no time to catch his breath at any point, the blonde’s head pressing almost painfully into the wall as Liam once again had the upper hand. It seemed to be his thing and Niall wouldn’t ever complain, he was too happy about every touch he received, too happy about doing exactly what Liam wanted him to do.

When the older’s hand moved across Niall’s stomach and towards the button of the pants Niall had just put on minutes ago, the blonde did feel his stomach tighten a bit out of nervousness, but there was Liam’s tongue in his mouth distracting him, the scratch of his beard, his scent. So Niall let him undo the button and pull down the zipper, kinda scared about how desperate he was for this to happen as well.

This time, Liam did not seem to want to tease Niall, he moved his hand straight into Niall’s boxer shorts, his free hand squeezing the younger’s waist and Niall couldn’t help the half yelp half moan that left his mouth as Liam’s hand wrapped around his barely hard cock. 

“Shsh… gotta be quiet…“ Liam mumbled against Niall’s spit slicked lips, barely moving his hand across the younger’s length, not really having that much room to jerk him off properly. “You can’t make a sound, okay? Can you do that, Niall?”

“I-I… yeah… “ Probably not, but Niall couldn’t even think straight anymore, he just wanted Liam to keep going, tilting his head a bit until their lips were touching again and Liam’s tongue slid back into his mouth, much to Niall’s relief.

He did move his hand a bit faster then, not bothering to pull Niall’s pants down or anything, and the blonde was trying so damn hard to stay quiet. Not only did he not want to disappoint Liam, but also, though there were other people in that store and there was some mall music playing… the younger boy would have literally died of embarrassed had they gotten caught like this.

The fact that Liam was kissing him this deeply really helped, at least it kept Niall’s mouth busy while Liam’s hand was wrapped around his cock, pumping him only a few times before Niall could already feel himself getting hard embarrassingly fast. Liam was just so good at this, his palm was warm but a little bit rough, and he knew just how to flick his wrist, thumb rubbing over the tip, spreading the wetness that was already dampening Niall’s boxer shorts.

And it wasn’t even the first time Liam was touching him, but he still affected Niall as if no one had touched him in years or something, and it was so, so hard to stay quiet and just kiss Liam back, choke down these moans. It felt so bloody amazing, have Liam jerk him off in his pants, hand occasionally sneaking down to fondle the younger’s balls, as if he was actively _trying_ to make him slip up and let out a moan. Which he probably would soon anyways.

Liam’s hand did slow down after a while, as if he knew that Niall would have come way too soon otherwise, but he was actually pushing him even closer to the edge with those lighter touches of his fingers stroking up and down his rock hard erection, tracing the veins, pulling down his foreskin and making Niall want to _scream_ for it.

But he didn’t, did not beg Liam like he wanted to, like he had done before, he really couldn’t have, not here, not after Liam had told him not to. 

At this point, Niall was barely kissing Liam back, he was just really trying to hold back, not work himself up too much, but every single drag of Liam’s fingers against him and every single flick of his wrist was just pushing Niall closer to the edge, no matter how hard he tried to not let it happen, tried to remind himself that they were literally in a fucking shopping mall. 

Maybe Liam wasn’t the only one after all who found it kinda hot to do these kinda things in public, or maybe it was just because Niall was doing them _with_ Liam, but whatever it was, it made it even harder for Niall to stay quiet and at least pretend to be kissing Liam back. 

“You’re doing so good…” When Liam barely pulled away, Niall was panting kinda loudly against the older’s mouth, having to bite his lip so he couldn’t accidentally moan as the older man started jerking him off faster once more, as if he was very well aware of that and just wanted to have his fun. 

“ _Liam_ … “ Niall couldn’t help it, it was only a very small whine and he was almost ripping Liam’s hair out, his stomach coiling with heat, tightening with every stroke of Liam’s hand and the blonde was _so_ close to ruin these pants that didn’t even belong to him.

It was only when Niall could feel his breath getting panicky and his ears starting to ring that Liam suddenly slowed down once more, and, as if that didn’t make Niall want to groan in frustration already, Liam’s lips were suddenly right at his ear again, his voice sounding firm but still smooth as honey. “Don’t cum, Niall… hold back.”

Okay, Niall was going to start crying any second, he WAS trying, really hard, his forehead now resting against Liam’s shoulder as he attempted to control his breathing and his… bodily functions, actually wanting to slap the older man right now for simply keeping on stroking him, doing exactly what he seemed to know drove Niall crazy. On full damn purpose. “Li-“

“Don’t. You wouldn’t wanna ruin those pants, would you? When we haven’t even paid for anything yet, huh? Can you try and hold back… for me?” The last part only came out in a whisper and Niall almost missed it because he was pretty busy moaning quietly into the fabric of the older’s shirt, not loud enough for anybody outside to hear though. 

“I… I c-can’t… “ Alright, Niall hadn’t noticed the moment when he had started crying, only a little bit though. On one hand, he wanted to just let go, give in to the delicious strokes of Liam’s hand across his aching erection, but on the other hand, the one that was clearly having the upper hand, he wanted to conform, he wanted Liam’s stupid praise and he wanted to do what he was told by the older man. Which was… quite scary to actually think about. 

“You’re doing so good… “ Liam half purred into his ear and Niall got chills all over his body, another tear dropping down his cheek and for a moment, he thought Liam would tell him to just cum, that he had just been teasing him for fun, but… apparently, he really hadn’t. “I promise I’m gonna finish this tonight, properly, if you hold back right now.”

“Liam… d-don’t… “ Yep, Niall had gone over to half begging once more, even if he knew that there was no point when Liam’s hand suddenly slowed to a stop and the blonde wanted to seriously kick him into the balls. But he couldn’t, because the older’s free hand was suddenly brushing through his hair, as if to comfort him and… how could Niall have been genuinely pissed off right now?

It was a game to Liam, had been all along, and Niall had known, deep down, he had subconsciously agreed to it, had allowed Liam to take control and even gone as far as giving the man a heads up to do anything to him he pleased. And so he did, not like in a way as if he wanted to make Niall feel bad or hurt him or something, he was just… having his fair share of fun.

And as much as Niall wanted to hate him right now, for simply stopping, for starting this and then not finishing it, he also knew that if he had been full on sobbing like he wanted to, had really begged Liam, the older man would have probably finished him off.

The thing was though, Niall secretly enjoyed this. He had never thought he could be into that kinda stuff, could be turned on by the fact that Liam was rich and liked to have the upper hand, but strangely enough, he was _really_ into it and the brunette man had known all along, or he wouldn’t have offered any of this to Niall, wouldn’t be jerking the blonde off in a dressing room. But that was what Niall had agreed to, on full purpose, just a week ago, and to be perfectly honest, that was exactly what he had wanted this to turn into, even though his cock was aching now and he kinda wanted to die a little bit, it still made his heart race when the older man told him how good he had been.

So, yeah, there was no reason to pretend to be mad at Liam, or to hate him for this, because when he pressed his lips to Niall’s sweaty forehead when the younger boy had finally lifted his head from his shoulder, all Niall could feel was pride for having done exactly like he had been told.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! :D
> 
> and again its sunday! and i havent really accomplished anything this week at all, i hope you all had a better week than me ha :p anyways, THANK YOU for all the lovely feedback, i still cant believe it that everyone seems to like sugar daddy liam fics so much haha i mean i kinda had a feeling but i didnt think itd be the same with mine and anyways liam hasnt really been able to show his sugar daddy side too much :p but he kinda did in this chapter tho and i hope you all enjoyed it!
> 
> honestly ive barely had this much fun writing a fic in a while haha, its just something new and i really am enjoying the whole writing process. what i wanted to say tho is that i hope liam does not come off as if he is trying to suppress niall in any way or like... make him do things, cos i dont want anybody to think of 50 shades of grey kinda stuff it is definitely NOT that! there will be a lot of smut obv but you will all see as the story progresses and niall gets used to all of this, he will definitely have a louder voice and he is not completely submissive to liam, its just for now bc theyre both exploring the whole idea of it and... anyways, liam would never wanna hurt niall on purpose, he wouldnt ever do anything like he did in the changing room if he didnt know that niall was into it as well and i hope thats clear!
> 
> anyways, youll see more about their characters in the following chapters anyways!
> 
> thank you all so much for reading and the comments and all the love, i really love you guys & i very much appreciate the lovely feedback im getting on this one <333


	5. Chapter 5

“Trust me, you look fine, Niall.“ Liam had already told him that for the millionth time today and yet Niall wasn’t really convinced. Of course the older man had to say that, he had bought Niall that suit he was currently wearing and it was too late to get changed into something else.

Their shopping trip had taken longer than Niall had thought was possible. Not only because he had had a painfully hard erection after that changing room incident and tried to be mad at Liam, which only worked for like 10 minutes though. The thing was, all along Liam had just been claiming he wanted to buy Niall something for just _tonight_ , but then he had dragged the blonde to even more stores and had made him try on more things, just so that in the end, after he had already bought way too much, he had suddenly decided a suit would be better.

Afterwards, when Niall had long forgotten about being mad at Liam because that was already hours in the past by then, they had gotten something to eat and that was when Niall had suddenly felt the nerves kicking back in, once they were back in Liam’s car and were driving to the older man’s place while it was already getting kinda darkish. Obviously, Niall had made sure to thank Liam multiple times for paying for everything, but the older man simply kept brushing it off.

There was that smile on his face though, kinda different than the one Niall was used to, and he could tell that the brunette really did enjoy spending his money on him for some reason. So that at least made him feel slightly better, if nothing else did. 

Needless to say, Liam owned a huge ass apartment, which wasn’t actually that far outside the city as he had told Niall and the view really was… mind blowing. It seemed really unreal, to walk through these rooms when Liam had given him a tour, see all the things the older man owned, how clean everything was, how neat and expensive looking. Then again, what else had Niall expected?

They hadn’t had much time actually, because they had had to get dressed as well and then Liam made Niall sit on the edge of his massive bathtub so he could do the blonde’s hair and Niall hated himself not only for blushing but also for the fact that he got turned on just the slightest bit from simply having Liam tucking and brushing through his hair. 

If he’d survive until much later tonight (which didn’t sound very likely), he would surely not make it through however Liam was planning on making the changing room incident up to him like he had promised.

“I… I feel weird.” The blonde mumbled, staring at himself in Liam’s massive mirror by his front door, the older man behind him, putting on his shoes and looking even more gorgeous than he normally did. Honestly, how could this man get better looking every time he changed his clothes?

“Have you never worn a suit before?” Liam was smirking when he stood straight again, looking at Niall through the mirror, fixing something about his hair from behind that the blonde couldn’t see. 

“No, I… I did, but… that was… a while ago.” More like ten years or something, but Niall really didn’t wanna get into this too much. He did look weird in a suit and though he liked his hair the way Liam had done it, he did realize that next to the brunette, he would always either be invisible anyways or look like trash. Hopefully tonight would be the first. “Did you… did you tell anyone? That you’re… bringing me?”

“Hmmm… no.” The older man seemed lost in thoughts for a moment, still busy with Niall’s hair and the blonde could feel his stomach twisting into knots. Oh god, this was going to be even more embarrassing than he had thought, wouldn’t it? “But don’t worry, it’s not the kinda event where I’d have to tell anybody who I’m bringing. Besides, I can bring whoever and how many people I want.” 

“That doesn’t… sound very comforting.” What if Liam’s parents felt like Niall was… intruding or something? What if Liam’s best friend had planned on… who knows what? There were literally way too many scenarios that Niall didn’t even want to imagine and suddenly his suit felt kinda too tight and his hands were starting to get sweaty, mouth dry as he spoke. “Liam, I… can you… are you just trying to calm me down? I… is it really no big deal, or… or are you just saying that?”

“Hey… “ Obviously having noticed the shakiness in Niall’s voice, Liam’s face suddenly turned softer as he stepped around the blonde, until he could grab a hold of his shoulders, gently turning him away from the mirror so that he was looking at Liam only. “I promise, it’s no big deal. In fact, I doubt we’ll even talk to my parents or anybody I know all that much. Well, except for Louis, but I know he’s gonna like you.”

“What… what if he doesn’t?” Niall couldn’t help but ask, it just slipped out and he regretted it just a second later. 

“Then nothing. But trust me, he will.” And then, as if that was going to help Niall to calm down, Liam kissed his forehead, causing the blonde’s heart beat to increase even _more_ , and then, as if that wasn’t enough, Liam only hesitated for a moment before also kissing Niall’s nose, hot breath brushing over the younger’s skin before he finally received a real kiss on the lips. “C’mon, we should get going.”

Still not fully convinced and still kinda stuck with the feeling of Liam’s mouth on top of his, Niall simply nodded, trying to wipe that worried expression off of his face and at least _pretend_ like he didn’t wish for a meteor to crush him right. Somehow, all Niall could think about was what Harry would be saying to all of this if he had known. 

He would have probably killed Niall actually.

They took a different one of Liam’s cars this time and the blonde didn’t even question it anymore when they walked into the garage. He had assumed those were other people’s cars, but… apparently not. Honestly, had Liam called them a driver and a limousine, Niall wouldn’t have been surprised either, not anymore. 

Though the brunette filled the whole car ride with questions and conversation, Niall could barely concentrate, he was biting his fingernails the whole time, his leg going up and down until Liam made him stop with a firm hand on his knee. This was going to be a disaster, Niall could feel it, he had never considered himself to be shy even if he didn’t enjoy doing things like giving presentations in class all that much, however… ever since he had met Liam, he had really started to question his own personality.

There was a lot of traffic, but eventually they got there, much sooner than to Niall’s liking actually, but he was kind of relieved to see just how big the place was. Liam actually had to show his ID though, and once they had gotten out of the car, he gave somebody the keys so they could park it for him, something which Niall had thought happened only in movies, but… this was Liam’s everyday life.

“You can hold my hand if you want.” No idea if Liam was mocking him or whether he was actually offering because he wanted Niall to feel safer, but either ways, the blonde highly doubted that holding hands would have helped him out now. 

Liam kept his arm around the blonde’s waist instead and they had barely even entered the massive venue filled with posh people when the brunette already started nodding at random people walking past them and Niall wanted to die. He knew it was probably inappropriate, but he still kept his head down most of the time, trusting Liam to lead him and not letting him stumble. God, how embarrassing would it have been, had Niall fallen over his own feet?!

“Okay, I see my parents, is it alright if we go say hi? Or do you need some time? I can also pretend we had to talk someone else first.” Liam was half whispering in Niall’s ear, holding him impossibly close and the younger boy shivered a little, suddenly feeling as if though a little bit of hand holding would have really helped after all. 

“No, we… we can… we should, uh… say hi, yeah.” They had to do it at some point, and Niall didn’t want them to think he was being rude, but then again… they probably would think all sorts of things about him anyways. “What… what if they ask something about, uh… anything and… and then we don’t know what to say or… or our stories don’t match and-“

“Let me do the talking, alright? Don’t worry ‘bout it, Niall, they won’t be asking too many questions, it’s going to be just fine.” Yeah, Niall genuinely doubted that.

Liam’s parents hadn’t seen them yet as they approached them, which gave Niall a chance to observe them a little bit without getting caught staring. Liam’s dad looked very different than in Niall’s memory, but maybe that was just because they were in a completely different context, and his mother seemed rather nice, but… who knew what kinda people they really were?

Liam tightened his arm around Niall’s waist as they got closer, as if he thought the blonde would run off otherwise and really, that sounded like a brilliant idea right now. Niall couldn’t help that he felt like he was going to faint any second, actually, he didn’t even know why he was so nervous because Liam had made it very clear that he wouldn’t even care what his parents thought about Niall anyways.

On the other hand though, he had started playing golf simply because his dad had told him to, his dad was literally his business partner and Niall was pretty damn sure that if it had come down to it, whatever had been between him and Liam would be over in the blink of an eye. 

“Mum, dad.” The last few meters, Liam had had to half drag Niall along, the blonde having made himself heavier and had slowed down without even noticing, his cheeks turning a deep red once they were standing right in front of Liam’s parents, who had just gotten done talking to somebody else. 

“You’re late.” Was all Liam’s dad said, but he didn’t sound strict or anything, it sounded more like… a simple statement, an observation. He hadn’t even looked at Niall yet, but Liam’s mother had, her eyes had only briefly lingered on her son before they had shifted to the blonde and Niall had looked down immediately, despite knowing how rude it was, just… no one could expect him to be super confident in this situation. Their son was basically Niall’s sugar daddy, how was he supposed to act?!

“Yeah, sorry about that, there was a lot of traffic. Anyways, I wanted to introduce you to Niall.” Liam sounded so carefree, as if they were just meeting in their living or something, what was wrong with him? “Niall, that’s my mum and dad.”

“Um… “ Niall gulped, quite dumbly staring at Liam’s parents once they were both looking at him. His dad seemed kinda surprised, his mother seemed to be half smiling and though that was certainly better than being glared at, it wasn’t helping either. “I… n-nice to… meet you, I…“

“One second… we know each other, don’t we? Niall… Horan?” Oh god. “The golf trainer?”

Liam’s dad was now looking at Liam again, with raised eyebrows this time and for a second, Niall actually thought he was going to slap the brunette in the face. How could Liam still remain so calm? “Yeah, he’s the golf trainer. And he’s also my boyfriend.”

There it was, Liam had just dropped the bomb, just like that, without thinking twice, without consulting with Niall first, he had just thrown it into the room, into both his parents’ faces and… they didn’t even seem to be too shocked or upset. Especially his mother. “Oh, that’s a surprise. Pleasure to meet you, Niall, I’ve heard all sorts of things about your talent in golf.”

“Umm, I… thank you. Nice to… meet you too.” Was that appropriate enough of an answer? Niall barely even noticed shaking Liam’s mother’s hand, and then his dad’s too, hating how sweaty his palm was, but he wasn’t exactly doing it on purpose.

“And… is Liam just as bad at golfing as I always feared?” Was that… a joke? They all laughed, but only very briefly, quietly, the way it seemed to be appropriate when you were rich and surrounded by all sorts of important people. 

“No, he’s… he’s not bad at all.” Niall lied, feeling Liam’s arm squeezing him tighter for a moment and he just knew that he was turning even redder as the seconds passed by. 

“Well, then, I’m counting on you that he’s going to beat me next time we play.” Liam’s dad didn’t sound too serious, but Niall still felt his stomach drop quite uncomfortably. It was kinda his job to make sure Liam was good at golfing as well, but now that he was literally staying away from the golf center FOR Liam, the brunette would surely never improve.

They made small talk for a few more minutes and Niall mostly stayed quiet, not really knowing what to say and not wanting to embarrass himself any further. Something he noticed during the whole conversation was that Liam’s parents never asked Niall anything personal, they also never asked how long they had been together or how… it had happened. Honestly, Niall wasn’t quite sure if he should have been relieved or not. Also, he hadn’t really thought Liam’s parents would simply call him by his first name, which meant that… they probably thought Niall was a lot younger than he actually was and he wasn’t quite sure if he liked that thought.

When Liam’s parents finally excused themselves because they had seen somebody else they needed to talk to, Niall could actually feel his pulse slowing down at an instant, suddenly not feeling anymore as if though his whole suit was already sweaty and way too tight as Liam led him away. Thank god that was over.

“How’re you doing? It wasn’t bad, was it? I think they like you.” Yeah, right… as if.

“I… I’m fine, I just.. ‘m not sure… if… if they like me… “ They had just been polite and Niall was pretty damn sure that unless he had shown up wearing ripped jeans and asked Liam’s dad to high five him, they wouldn’t have acted any differently than they had now. It was an event with tons of important people around, obviously Liam’s parents wouldn’t make a scene or raise their voices even if they had disapproved of this… ‘relationship’.

“I’m sure they do. Don’t worry about it, they’re always like that, they’d never wanna ask too many questions or ask something inappropriate.” That worried Niall just slightly, he threw a side glance at Liam, the older’s arm holding him close as they made their way through people, but the brunette was just smiling, as if he didn’t care that his own parents showed little to no interest in his private life. Well, maybe they talked when they were alone? Oh god, maybe once this was over they’d get really mad and yell at Liam or something. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Um… I’d rather not, actually.” Maybe getting a little bit tipsy would have been kinda nice, but then again… what if Niall embarrassed himself? He’d rather just be blushed and stumble on his words than say something he’d regret tomorrow. Or worse, try to snog Liam or some shit. “Do you… do you usually drink at… those kinda events?”

“A bit. But I’m not getting drunk obviously, that’d be… highly inappropriate. Me and Louis sometimes go out for drinks afterwards though.” Oh right, shit, another person Niall had yet to meet that almost instantly caused his heart to race again. He was going to suffer from a heart attack tonight or something. “But I’m not drinking if you aren’t either, let’s just… stay sober and I’m gonna text Louis and see when he’s gonna show up.”

“Um… alright.” Actually, that was the least thing Niall wanted Liam to do, but they were kinda forced to stop talking for a moment because now there were even more people than before and the blonde pretended he was really scared about getting separated from Liam when his arm slipped just the tiniest bit, so without really thinking about it, the younger boy quickly reached behind to grab a hold of Liam’s hand. It was only commented with a quick smile and a squeeze of his fingers by the brunette, turning their hands so that he could slip his fingers between Niall’s. Alright. 

They found a bit of a quieter corner and Liam only let go of Niall when they were standing pretty darn close next to each other, briefly chatting to somebody the older man knew and again, he simply mentioned that Niall was his boyfriend, even though they hadn’t even been asking. It was like… he just wanted to make sure people knew or something, so that no one would get the wrong idea. 

“Right… let’s see where Louis’ at… “ Liam was lost in thoughts for a moment, typing on his phone as soon as those other people had left and Niall took the time to look around a bit, feeling rather nervous though whenever he accidentally caught someone’s eye. It wasn’t as terrible here as he had feared, but… it also wasn’t exactly great.

To think that Niall had promised Liam he’d be around for almost all of these events… but who knows, they were probably all different, who knows what kinda things the older man attended. And yet, even though Niall was highly uncomfortable in that suit and he had almost died meeting Liam’s parents, watching the older man while he was focused on his phone, getting to closely inspect his face like that… he knew just one glance at Liam would have been enough to know he didn’t regret saying yes to this.

“Louis is here, I told him where we are. Is that alright?” Well, Niall didn’t have a lot of choice so he simply nodded, swallowing hard as he watched Liam pocketing his phone, kinda wanting to touch him but not knowing whether he was allowed to. Also, the blonde hadn’t really gotten over his nervousness around Liam just yet, so… he probably wouldn’t have touched him even if they had been all alone. “He’s great, you’ll see.”

“How… how old is Louis?” Not that it really mattered at this point, Niall just wanted to keep on talking to Liam so he wouldn’t freak out, keeping himself from peering around, as if he would have recognized Louis coming towards them. 

“A few months older than me. Why?” Liam reached out for Niall as if he wasn’t even thinking about it, just touching his arm briefly, then he was suddenly fixing the younger’s tie even though the blonde was 99% sure there had been nothing wrong with it at all.

“Just asking… you said that… he works for you?” For some reason, Liam had to chuckle at that question and Niall really hoped that he hadn’t said anything wrong, or that he had misunderstood that bit of information because it was already weeks in the past. 

“Yeah, kinda. But don’t mention that to him, it kinda pisses him off, I guess. Or… maybe you should mention it to him, I’d wanna see his reaction.” Then Liam laughed again for some reason and though Niall had no idea whether it had been a joke or not, he made a mental note to never EVER mention this to Louis. He would probably hate Niall anyways, or probably treat him just like Liam’s parents, he surely was some really posh guy who couldn’t take a single joke, so why would the blonde willfully provoke him?

God, Niall would have given anything right now to be able to tell Harry about all of this, he knew it was his own fault that he couldn’t, but… it was in everyone’s best interest, if he didn’t say anything just yet, it’d save Harry a lot of sleepless nights and also, it’d save Niall from a lot of teasing. 

“Niall, honestly, there’s no need to be so tense, I promise. You’ll- oh.” And without finishing the sentence, Liam was suddenly waving at somebody over Niall’s shoulder and the blonde could literally _feel_ all blood draining from his face, undoubtedly leaving him pale as a sheet as he somehow automatically grabbed a hold of Liam’s wrist, not daring to turn around just yet. 

It took a few seconds, for Louis to get here and Liam didn’t stop grinning just once, kept his eyes on his friend and Niall had no idea what he had been expecting, but…. it certainly wasn’t what he saw. 

“Hey, man… could’ve really sent me a nicer car. I’ll call myself an Uber next time, honestly.” Alright, that was already different than Niall had expected, Louis didn’t at all sound like a stuck up business man, and to be quite honest, when Niall finally found the courage to let go of Liam’s wrist and look at the man that was now standing in front of them, he also didn’t look like one. 

“Sorry, it was kinda last minute. But hey, you _almost_ made it on time.” The Louis guy rolled his eyes as Liam laughed, and then they hugged, very briefly, right before Louis’s eyes landed right on Niall’s face and the blonde almost choked from sucking in air so quickly.

“That why you wanted me to come so badly? Your new toy boy?” Had Niall not wanted to die, he certainly did right now. It hadn’t sounded mean though, it had just sounded like an honest joke because Louis was actually smiling at him. Was it true, that Liam had wanted his best friend to come, just to meet Niall?

“Shut up, Tommo. Niall, Louis. Louis, Niall.” This time, Liam did not introduce Niall as his boyfriend, which was kind of a relief, but of course that brought up the question of what exactly Niall was. Sadly enough, the words ‘toy boy’ didn’t seem too far off.

“Hi, Niall. What’s up?” Louis shook Niall’s hand half has firm as Liam’s dad had, it was a lot more carefree and he was smirking at the blonde, as if he found this whole situation very amusing, as if he knew exactly what was going on.

“Hi, um… nothing much, I… I guess.” Great, now Louis thought Niall was boring, and maybe he was, he still up to this day didn’t even know why Liam wanted him around. 

“So… you’re the poor soul they asked to teach Payno how to golf, huh?” The nickname was only slightly weird to Niall, but he barely even noticed it anyways, trying to force himself to a smile as Liam punched Louis in the shoulder, very softly though, only making the other man laugh. “What? You said yourself that you suck, Li, and Niall’s seen it firsthand so there’s no need to put up a show, y’know.”

“I’ve improved though. Right, Niall?” Was Niall supposed to play along with the joke? Or have Liam’s back? Or… maybe he should just stay quiet, that was probably the best idea. 

“I think he’s speechless because he’s thinking about just how bad you are.” Louis continued, this time very gracefully missing Liam’s hand though. The thing was though, there was a spark of truth in those words. “So… you two are like… a thing? Or have a thing going on?”

“Something like that.” Was all Liam said and as Niall turned his head to check, the older man was smiling rather pleased, seemingly naturally moving his arm around Niall’s waist again, which Louis clearly noticed but chose not to address. 

“Thanks for telling me, mate, and not keeping me in the dark and forcing me to one of your dad’s boring speeches just so you can tell me, I really appreciate it.” He sounded terribly sarcastic and only a little bit pissed off that he hadn’t known beforehand and Niall suddenly felt a bit jealous because… if only Harry could have reacted this calmly. 

“C’mon, Lou, I told you now, didn’t I?” It was weird, listening to them talk about this while Niall was standing right there, but the hand rubbing up and down the small of his back clearly showed him though that Liam was indeed aware of his presence.

“Yeah, after it’s been going on for god knows how long.” Louis pretended to be mad at Liam, or maybe he was genuinely pissed off, Niall couldn’t quite tell, he was honestly just happy that Louis wasn’t some stuck up rich boy. “I bet Niall told his friends about you ages ago already.”

“Well… “ Niall started when no one said anything, feeling heat rising in his cheeks as he quickly looked down, the guilt almost eating him alive now. Even worse, Harry had actually texted him before they had come here, something about how he thought he was going to hook up with that guy he was ‘studying’ with, and the blonde had simply sent him a thumbs up emoji, not really having had time to type something else. “I… I told him, but… but not everything.”

“Damn, no wonder you two get along so well, you’re both shitty friends.” It was very obviously a joke, Liam softly shoved Louis again, who just laughed at him anyways, but Niall kinda took it a bit more seriously. He WAS a shitty friend after all. “Maybe I should befriend that poor guy and inform him that his friend is hanging around fancy events in 500 pounds suits while he probably told him he would just go to bed early.”

“It wasn’t 500 pounds.” Liam made sure to interrupt, which made it even worse because to be completely honest here, Niall had stolen a glance at the price and… it had been more than 500. “And leave Niall alone, Lou, he doesn’t have to tell anybody if he doesn’t want to, it doesn’t make him a shitty friend. It only makes _you_ a bad friend for insulting my date.”

“Date, huh?” The other man smirked and Niall wanted to absolutely die, even more so when Louis reached out, out of nowhere, his hand in Niall’s hair and messing it up completely as he ruffled it before the blonde had even had a chance to a react. “I’m just joking, don’t take it seriously, kiddo. How old are you even by the way? Liam said you go to college?”

“I… I’m 22. And yeah, I… I go to college.” And being called _kiddo_ made Niall want to disappear in a hole and never resurface again, the only thing keeping him somewhat from dying of embarrassment was Liam’s hand comfortingly rubbing his back.

“22, really? Huh. You don’t look like it.” There was a smirk on Liam’s face, Niall could see it from the corner of his eyes but he decided to ignore it, tried not to get upset over how seriously surprised Louis had seemed when he had told him his age. “Maybe it’s because you’re standing next to Liam and he’s so damn old, he makes everyone look younger.”

“Very funny, Tommo.” Actually, Liam didn’t sound like he cared at all, his arm suddenly wrapping back up around Niall’s shoulders completely, squeezing him a bit. “I think we should go and get a better look on the stage, if I miss my dad’s speech he’s never going to let it go.”

The place was so full that Niall had no idea how they were ever even going to get a look at anything, but then again, he also didn’t really care all that much. Louis kept on complaining about how he had only shown up because Liam had asked him to meet Niall and how he could just leave now, but of course he didn’t, he was probably too polite for that, even though he didn’t really seem like a polite person at all. 

This time, Liam was the one who simply grabbed Niall’s hand, intertwining their fingers again as he pulled him through the crowds of people and Louis definitely saw because he was actually walking behind them, so the blonde made sure to never turn his head around, just letting the other man’s stare burn holes into his back. 

Once Liam had found a place he seemed to consider close enough, he made sure to kinda pull Niall in front of him because there wasn’t all too much space, his hands resting on the blonde’s upper arms though as he was standing behind him, making sure to keep Niall so close that they were almost standing back to chest, which worked only because Liam was taller than him.

“What’s your dad even gonna talk about? I never understand anything he says when he’s talking all political and business-man.” Louis was half whispering into Liam’s ear because people were starting to become more quiet, but Niall still heard him of course, since he was so close. 

“You know I… I actually have no idea.” Liam had hesitated for a moment, rubbing Niall’s arms and the blonde relaxed a bit, now not so nervous anymore that it would turn out that he was too dumb to understand this speech. “Probably about his plans to expand the business.”

“Expanding… does that mean he’s gonna cut positions?” For a moment, Niall thought Louis was worried about his own job or something, almost feeling bad for him until he continued. “’cos that guy that has his office next to mine is really getting on my nerves. Also, last week, I think I saw him stealing toilet paper rolls and-“

“Lou, you can’t tell me these kinda things, I’m the boss, remember?” Niall suddenly actually had a really good picture in mind, of how it went down at work, of Liam sitting at his desk being all serious and trying to get work done and Louis sitting across his desk with his feet propped up or something, throwing paper balls at the other’s head. Damn, maybe he wasn’t so different from Harry after all. 

“Yeah, but I’m also your best friend? Even though you didn’t tell me that you were seeing a 22-year-old college student since god knows when?” Feeling himself tense just slightly, Niall tried to force his muscles to relax because he was fairly certain Liam could have felt it. He knew Louis was just kidding, but… it was weird, to KNOW that he knew exactly what was going on between them, even though Liam claimed he had never had an arrangement of this kind before. 

Louis never received an answer because just as he was finished, someone went on stage and from there on Niall simply zoned out. He did try to listen during the speech Liam’s dad gave, but it was like, 40 minutes long and he used so many complicated words in just the first sentence that the blonde’s brain hurt. Liam wouldn’t like… quiz him or anything, right? He had simply wanted Niall’s company, not for him to take notes during somebody’s speech.

It seemed to last ages, honestly, Niall’s feet were already hurting and he tried to stand still, really tried his hardest, but he was just a fidgety person and he couldn’t really help it. At one point, Liam even wrapped his arm around the blonde from behind, pulling him back against him softly, until his lips were brushing Niall’s ear, giving him goosebumps as he whispered. “You alright?”

“Yeah, just… “ Niall didn’t finish, realizing he would have sounded like a whiny child and that was really the last thing he wanted Liam to think about him.

“I know. It’s almost over, okay?” Then he rubbed Niall’s chest for a moment before pulling away again, instead leaving his hand to rest on Niall’s hip, letting him lean against him which the younger boy accepted very happily. Maybe he wouldn’t have normally, but he was 100% sure that absolutely nobody was watching them and damn, his legs really did hurt. 

Drifting off for a while, Niall tried to pass the time by counting how often Liam’s chest rose against his back, how many times that woman that was now talking had to clear her throat, how often Louis would let out a quiet sigh that matched Niall’s mood perfectly. When that got too boring though, the blonde somehow started thinking about later on, about what Liam had promised him in the changing room, and needless to say, he immediately had to stop these images or those tight suit pants would have gotten even more unbearable. 

When it was _finally_ over, everyone was clapping and Niall just felt numb, not really liking how Liam pulled away so he had his hands free. God, just thinking about having to do this again in the near future made Niall want to shoot himself in the head. How did Liam manage to listen to all of that all the freaking time? No wonder he needed some company. 

“Okay, I guess… we should go talk to my parents again. Maybe have a drink with them, but we totally don’t have to, if you don’t want to.” Great, of course Niall couldn’t say no, he hadn’t even thought that they were going to leave just yet, he just… hadn’t really been prepared to talk to Liam’s parents again. Also, he still didn’t want a drink, but… Liam was being so sweet about it and also, he was _paying_ Niall for this, having asked the blonde about his bank details before at his place, which Niall had written down for him while almost dying inside. 

“No, I… that’s fine.” Niall lied, trying to return that smile the brunette gave him, the very quick and brief forehead kiss he received only making up for half of this.

“Maybe I should leave, before they see me, I mean, if I just go your parents will never even know I was here and-“

“I told them you’d come.” Liam simply cut Louis off, again grabbing a hold of Niall’s hand and the blonde really started to enjoy it by now. “They love you, Lou, you know that.”

“Yeah… they also really love golf and talking about things I have no clue about.” Well, that made two of them. “I’ll only stay for an hour, then I really gotta go.”

So they had to squeeze their way through yet again, Liam kept on introducing Niall on the way, each time causing Louis to lift his eyebrows whenever he mentioned the word ‘boyfriend’, by now sounding like a proud dad whenever he got to show Niall off. It was really bad, like, really _really_ bad, but not quite as bad as having a drink with his parents though. 

It was mostly Liam who talked throughout all of it, and then Louis would crack a joke because he didn’t seem to care one bit and no one but Niall would laugh. On accident of course, because he had had no idea how inappropriate it was and because Louis was kinda really funny and because neither of the two of them seemed to be able to follow the conversation.

So when they got back into the car that night after what felt like 12 years, not only was Niall sure that Liam’s parents and everybody else he had met absolutely hated him, but he had also stopped caring to a point where he simply fell asleep with his head against the window, literally the second Liam had started the car and had been about to ask whether it had been as terrible as Niall had feared.

Actually, it had been even worse and yet… and yet it still seemed worth it.

 

\-----------------------

 

“C’mon, Niall… I can’t carry you all the way up to my place.” Liam’s voice in Niall’s ear would have usually startled him, but he was still half asleep, barely even noticing that he was in the older man’s car, that Liam’s hand was rubbing up and down his arm as he half whispered. “Niall… come on, you gotta wake up, okay? I’ve still gotta keep my promise.”

“…what?” The blonde mumbled, right now having no idea what Liam was even talking about or he would have probably turned all red from embarrassment. 

Instead, he tried to stretch a bit, forcing his eyes to open after rubbing them with his fists, noticing that Liam had already taken his seatbelt off for him and that they were back in the garage. The older man had made himself a bit smaller, so he could kinda be on eye level with Niall still sitting in the car, his limbs hurting and his throat feeling dry as he tried to look at the older man. 

“There you are. How was your nap?” He had that crooked smile on his face, softer than usually though and Niall felt his stomach twist a bit, gladly taking the hand Liam was offering him to help him out of the car.

“It was… fine.” Niall had slept like a baby, he couldn’t even remember waking up just one single time and honestly, he had no idea why he was even that tired, but it was Saturday and he had been standing or walking around all day long, plus the seats in Liam’s car were really comfortable. Which couldn’t be said about this suit though, because after having worn it for hours on end, Niall would have gladly just ripped it off of himself. He would have, had it not cost so much and had it not been a gift. 

“I was kinda afraid you’d be mad about us staying so long to talk to my parents, so I’m glad you fell asleep on me instead.” Liam threw the door shut after Niall, locking his car before his arm came back around Niall’s shoulder, seemingly natural by now and the blonde simply leaned into his warm body as they were walking, needing the support after not being fully awake yet. 

“I… why would I be mad?” That was ridiculous, of course Niall hadn’t particularly enjoyed any of what they had been doing for the last 4 or 5 hours, but… there was a reason after all, why he had agreed. 

“Well, it was kinda boring and I promised you it’d be fun.” Liam shrugged, but he was smiling which Niall could finally see once they left the garage and waited for the elevator, the bright light stinging in his eyes. “But, hey, Louis really likes you.”

“Umm… he does?” Niall was slightly confused, not knowing whether to believe Liam or not, but then again… it hadn’t seemed like Louis hated him or anything, actually, it had rather sounded like he had been pretty amused by the fact that Niall had been there. Plus, whenever Niall had accidentally laughed at every single one of Louis’ jokes as the only one, the older man had been grinning at him. 

“Of course. And my parents like you too, I think.” He _thought_ , which basically was code for they hated Niall, but honestly… if Liam didn’t care about what his parents thought, then… Niall probably didn’t have to either? Before tonight, he had been worried, what Liam might do if his parents reacted badly, but it didn’t seem like any of this had phased him at all, so… “Don’t worry though, next time I’ll make sure we’ll get to leave sooner. And that you can sit down.”

“I… it’s fine, I… I’m fine with standing.” Well, maybe for an hour or two…

Liam didn’t really say anything, he just laughed at the blonde as they entered the elevator, momentarily letting his arm drop from around Niall’s shoulders. There were mirrors on 3 walls that Niall tried to ignore, he knew he looked like a freaking mess, could feel it, and to be quite honest, all he wanted right now was a shower and a bed.

For about two more minutes, because that was when he suddenly realized what they were about to do, what Liam had promised him multiple times now and… alright, Niall really needed to get those outbreaks of sweat and nervousness under control whenever he thought about any part of Liam’s body touching his. 

“Alright, you wanna take a shower? Or are you hungry? The fridge is full, the second bathroom is right over there and I put a towel in it for you, and a toothbrush as well, anything you might need, alright? Just use whatever you find.” He really had had planned this out, hadn’t he?

“I… thanks.” It was still overwhelming entering Liam’s apartment a second time, maybe even more now because walking inside, they were actually immediately in the living room, which had an entire wall just made of glass and the view had been incredible at daytime, but now… incredible. 

“I’ll just go shower real quick, yeah? You can come to my room when you’re done with… whatever.” Liam was so good at subtly hinting where he wanted Niall to be and for what purpose, even if the wink and the kiss on the cheek was a very clear message that the blonde couldn’t have missed had he been a complete idiot.

God, was he really prepared for that?

Once Liam had left to go shower in his own bathroom, Niall just stood there for a moment or two, his heart hammering, trying to calm himself down before walking into the spare room that Liam had told him he could have. His backpack and his clothes were on the bed and for a moment Niall wasn’t sure if there was even a need to put any clothes on, but… he didn’t want it to be too weird, just in case.

So in the end, he made sure to take that suit off as carefully as possible, leaving it on the chair and pulling out some sweatpants he had packed before heading to the spare bathroom, immediately being yet again surprised as he turned on the lights. It didn’t look like a spare bathroom at all, more as if Niall had been living here for two years already or something. Although, everything in here was new, the blonde could tell with just one glance, the toothbrush actually still being in its packaging.

Liam was crazy. 

Showering this time was different than in the morning because Niall had to be a lot quicker, but he also had to be more thorough, glad that Liam had bought him a selection of like 3 different shower gels. If he had bought them, that meant he had to like them, right?

Niall brushed his teeth afterwards for as long as he thought was appropriate before Liam would notice just how long he had been gone. The blonde’s hair was still damp as he left the bathroom, for a moment feeling really nervous as he walked down the hall to Liam’s bedroom, taking only his phone, suddenly feeling a little bit cold without a shirt on and no boxer shorts underneath his sweatpants. Well, it was too late now.

The thing was, though Niall had thought he had been gone for ages, he could still hear the shower in Liam’s bathroom that was connected to his massive bedroom. Not really knowing what to do, Niall tried to think of it as natural as he went to sit on Liam’s bed, looking around a bit now that he had a chance to without being watched.

It smelled really good in the entire apartment, but especially in here. Also, everything was more than just clean and neatly put away, Liam didn’t really have a lot of decoration or things lying around, only his watch and bottles of colognes and his laptop, the occasional book here and there. The brunette would have probably had a heart attack, had he ever seen the state of Niall’s and Harry’s dorm room. 

Liam didn’t come out for ten more minutes, it was actually already 1.30 in the morning and Niall had like two more messages from Harry on his phone that he made sure to quickly answer, telling his friend that he had fallen asleep. Harry was probably busy with something else anyways, or maybe… maybe he and that guy were already done with whatever they had been doing, Niall really wasn’t so keen on knowing the details.

He was kinda taken off guard when Liam came out of the bathroom, had just been texting on his phone when he heard the door open, automatically looking up, his breath literally stopping, eyes going wide without him even noticing. 

“Sorry, I took kinda long.” Liam was apologizing, all naturally, but the knowing look on his face said something completely different. 

“I-I… it’s… fine.” Niall couldn’t stop staring, he wanted to, really, but he just… couldn’t. Liam wasn’t wearing anything, only a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, honestly showing so much of his lower body that Niall was wondering why he had even bothered covering himself up.

His skin was still damp, hair as well but it somehow still seemed kinda styled and Niall was pretty damn sure that Liam had never looked better than this. His tattoos on full display that went up to his shoulder on one arm, something Niall hadn’t noticed before, muscles stretching his skin, chest hair turning into his happy trail that disappeared somewhere in his seemingly slipping off towel.

Niall’s mouth felt really dry as he thought about them having sex, tonight, here. It almost seemed like a really weird fantasy or something, nothing that could actually happen in real life.

“You found everything you need in the bathroom?” Yes, Liam was casually making conversation, still smirking as he turned around, very obviously well aware of Niall’s stare that he didn’t seem to mind at all. It honestly looked like he was enjoying this, like he had done it on purpose just to show off and once he was standing in front of his closet and simply let his towel drop altogether after pulling out a pair of boxer shorts, Niall actually had to suck in a breath, quite noisily.

“I, um… yeah, I… I found… uh… everything… thank you.” Niall only saw Liam’s bare arse very briefly before he had yet again covered himself up, the boxer shorts sitting even lower than the towel, of course showing his body off even more and… this was ridiculous, absolutely insane.

Liam only came to the bed after putting away his towel in the bathroom, giving Niall some time to calm down, making sure to put his phone on Liam’s other bedside table, just to… kind of be prepared a little bit. How could he have ever been prepared for this though? He had never been this eager before, to get naked with somebody, get his hands all over somebody’s body, so desperately it almost hurt.

Somehow though, Liam made it all seem so natural, as if this was their night routine. He didn’t simply throw Niall on the bed and started snogging him, he actually sat on his bed as well, looking something up on his phone, setting an alarm for tomorrow, asking Niall what time he wanted to get up, asking what he usually ate for breakfast and then randomly reading a text from Louis complaining about how boring the event had been out loud because he seemed to think it was really funny.

By the time Liam put his phone away and actually got up again to sit next to Niall, who felt like an ice statue by now, the blonde already felt like he was about to die from anticipation. How had he even survived this long? Since this morning in the dressing room?

“Do you still want me to… make it up to you?” Liam started, as if he was reading Niall’s mind, the very cocky smirk on his face growing wider as he simply let his hand rest on the blonde’s upper thigh, undoubtedly noticing that he wasn’t wearing anything underneath his sweatpants. Again, why had any of them even bothered to put on any clothes?

“If… if you… if you still w-wanna… make it up to m-me… “ Niall half choked out, not able to look away from Liam’s lips, breathing in embarrassingly often just because the older man smelled so damn good after taking a shower, the younger boy just wanted to lean in even further, kinda couldn’t help it.

There was no answer, Liam just chuckled quietly, his hand squeezing Niall’s thigh, keeping him hanging just a little bit longer before he leaned closer, until their foreheads were knocking together, noses brushing and Niall already felt dizzy from having held his breath for so long. He wanted Liam so badly it hurt, every second passing by driving him just a little bit more insane.

The older’s hand came up to cup Niall’s cheek right before he finally closed the gap between their lips, not at all going as eager and quick as Niall would have hoped for, but he was okay with anything really, if it only meant that Liam was touching him, that he could stop feeling weird and just get lost in the older’s kisses.

It was a quick make out session, Liam’s tongue poking Niall’s lips apart before slipping into his mouth, deep and hot and his hand slipped down, thumb pressing right into the mark he had left on the blonde’s neck what seemed like years ago. The suit had covered the love bite up luckily, but Niall had seen it in the mirror before, had seen just how prominent and purple it was and Liam’s thumb pressing into it surely wasn’t going to help make it disappear. Which was a good thing, because the tiny pinch of pain really turned Niall on.

“Lie on the bed… on your stomach.” Liam mumbled against Niall’s mouth after he had pulled away after only a few minutes and the blonde had been about to whine, wanted to pull the brunette’s face back into his, but instead, he felt shivers down his spine. 

They lingered for another moment, sharing another kiss before Liam leaned back further, a smirk on his face and one eyebrow pulled up, waiting for the blonde to do as he had been told without saying another word. God, Niall was so flushed and he was already half hard just from this, the thought of what Liam might be doing to him in a second making him want to jut rip those sweatpants off of his own body.

It only felt a little bit weird, having Liam watching him as he went to lie on the older’s bed, on his stomach like Liam had told him, nervously licking his lips as he rested his head on his arm, still tasting the brunette in his mouth. There was nothing he could do but wait, watching Liam as far as that was possible from his lying position.

“What… what’re you doing?” Niall was just a little bit breathless from the snogging, his stomach twisting into knots as Liam left the bed for a moment, only to let something drop on the mattress that the younger boy couldn’t see.

“I’m making it up to you, since you’ve been so good.” Liam was grinning, he seemed really eager to do this for some reason and Niall tried not to get too excited just yet, didn’t want to embarrass himself. Not that Liam hadn’t become witness of that often enough already anyways. “Is it alright if I take these off?”

“I… s-sure… “ The brunette had put his hand on Niall’s ass for a moment, not even wasting a second after Niall had answered, his fingers slipping underneath the waistband and though his cheeks were burning and he had no idea what to expect, the blonde helped Liam getting the only piece of clothing off that he had been wearing. Liam had never seen him naked, not really, so Niall was really thankful that he was lying on his stomach, even if it literally made no difference.

“No underwear, huh? Careful, I might think you’ve come to my room with intentions.” It was a joke, Liam winked at the blonde and Niall didn’t even think about it as he simply closed his eyes, trying to pretend he was invisible or something while the brunette just laughed, his body all of a sudden covering Niall’s, lips brushing up right against his cheek, his ear. “’m just kidding, Niall. No need to be embarrassed, yeah? It’s just me.”

Yeah, only that made it even worse somehow.

“Tell me if you want me to stop, alright?” And then his body weight was gone again, leaving Niall with a few goosebumps because Liam’s bare chest against his back had been so warm, the nervousness coming back at an instant. What was Liam planning, if he needed to make sure the blonde knew he could back out any time he wanted to?

There were a few terrible seconds where Liam wasn’t touching Niall in any way and with every new second passing, Niall became more aware of the fact that he was lying in Liam’s bed, stark naked, the older man being at least dressed in boxer shorts. And then Liam kinda made it even worse, even if just for a second. 

He kissed Niall’s spine, hands on either side of the blonde’s waist to support himself, his mouth going down lower and lower and before the younger boy had really figured out what Liam was about to do, he already had his big hands on Niall’s arse cheeks, doing something the blonde had never even thought was a real thing. Oh god… 

For a moment only, Niall thought about telling Liam not to do it, to let him turn around, because it felt horrible to be exposed like this and also, the blonde couldn’t believe that Liam didn’t think that it was kinda… gross? But actually, that seemed to be the very last thing on his mind as he spread Niall’s cheeks with his thumbs, only allowing the blonde one very breathless noise of surprise before it quickly got drowned in a moan. 

Liam’s tongue in his mouth and against his own felt bloody incredible, also against his skin, on his neck, but having the older man licking a fat stripe right over his very exposed hole caused Niall to squirm, his eyes shooting open in an instant as he let out an involuntary second moan, not being able to believe how this felt. It was a little bit weird at first, so unexpected, but Liam didn’t give him much time at all to get used to the feeling, he just kept going, really getting his face in there and Niall, well… he was actually only glad that Liam had no neighbors. 

“ _Oh my god_ …. “ There was no other way to describe this, Liam’s wet and hot tongue against his most sensitive area, his beard scratching the skin burning, obscene noises coming from his mouth as he practically ate Niall out, not holding back.

Now at least Niall didn’t have to feel awkward anymore, for being rock hard within literally 10 seconds, having to actually bite his own arm in order to somehow keep a little bit of his pride, trying not to beg Liam to just get on with it and add a finger as well, or his cock maybe. Shit. 

“ _Liam_ … aaah… “ He was so bloody good at this, knowing exactly when to slow down again, making the blonde wait just to suck on his hole again and diving back in, tongue sometimes grazing his taint and balls as well, his thumbs holding Niall open to a point where it almost really hurt. In a really good way though.

When Liam started pointing his tongue, trying to get Niall to relax so he could slip it inside of him, the blonde couldn’t help the sobbing noise that escaped him, only now realizing that he was bloody crying from how good he felt, wanting to press his arse further into Liam’s face but trying his hardest to at least keep still, if he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. 

“L-Liam… _please_ … “ No idea what Niall was asking for, all he knew was that his voice was breaking on every word, another moan consisting of Liam’s name escaping him when the older’s tongue slipped inside of him just barely before he pulled out again, placing a kiss right above the blonde’s hole, not even lifting his head to speak.

“Please, what?” He asked, all cheekily, only a little bit out of breath and Niall yet again wanted to punch him or something. “You enjoying yourself?”

“Y-Yeah… Liam… please… don’t stop… “ Was all Niall could choke out, even if he sounded really bloody pathetic, it’s just… he didn’t think he’d survive if Liam stopped now, if he left him hanging again. Plus, he had _promised_.

Not having to be asked twice, Liam was back at it a second later, after just a quick chuckle, obviously liking that the blonde had once again gone over to begging. This time though, when Liam tried to push his tongue in one more time, he tried adding a finger as well, again causing Niall to cry out as he tried his best to just relax. 

Honestly, the blonde had no idea if Liam had ever planned on fucking him properly tonight, or whether he had just been wanting to eat Niall out, but when the words escaped him, Niall wasn’t thinking at all, hadn’t been planning to even say anything at all. It didn’t even sound like his own voice, probably because those tears that wouldn’t stop coming were really making his throat tight. “Liam… _p-please_ … fuck me… “

At first, the brunette pretended like he hadn’t even heard Niall, now having one finger inside of him, moving it around just barely, his tongue licking around it, keeping it wet and smooth, free hand now pressing down onto the base of Niall’s spine, keeping him down. The blonde wasn’t going to last, with every drag of Liam’s finger against his sensitive inner walls, every time his hot tongue met his skin, Niall thought he would just blow, ruin Liam’s bed sheets that were creating such a delicious friction on his aching erection. Fuck.

“L-Liam… “ Niall tried again, not coming very far this time though, another half sob-half moan escaping him when he felt Liam licking over his balls, finger still inside of Niall, slowly thrusting as if he was trying to drive the blonde mad. 

“You really want me to? Want me to fuck you?” He finally asked, lips still brushing Niall’s skin, his voice quiet and somehow changed, he was half growling the words actually, as if he was just as turned on by the thought of it. “Want me to properly fuck you until you’re screaming for it?”

God, Liam really had a thing for that dirty talk and right now, it was exactly what Niall needed, exactly what he wanted but wouldn’t have known how to ask for. “Y-Yes… please… Liam… I c-can’t, I-“

“Shhh, baby.” That was the second time he had called Niall that but the blonde barely noticed, he was just whining from the loss of Liam’s finger as he pulled it out slowly, pressing another kiss onto the base of Niall’s spin before he suddenly wasn’t touching the blonde anymore and Niall felt too exhausted and too desperate as to open his eyes and check what was going on. “Gotta open you up a bit more though, yeah? Think you can try and hold back until then?”

“N-No… “ Niall simply blurted out, for a moment causing Liam’s façade to crack as he let out a quick laugh, making the blonde shiver as he yet again lied down right on top of him, more firmly this time though, not really trying to keep his weight off of the blonde anymore.

His lips were on the base of Niall’s neck, then his shoulder and cheek and Niall was pretty damn sure he could feel how hard Liam was through his boxer shorts when the older’s lips were suddenly pressed against his ear, hot breath causing goosebumps to rise all over Niall’s skin. “No? Not even for me?”

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone :)
> 
> i cannot believe ive got this many kudos for only 4 chapters this is literally crazy lmao! i really hope youre all going to continue to enjoy this story and that im writing sugar daddy liam to everyones liking ahah!
> 
> also dont worry! i am going to continue the smut scene in the next chapter, i had to cut it off tho bc it was getting too long and then i would have had to shorten it down, but dont worry, youll still get it ;)
> 
> thank you so much for all the lovely messages i really appreciate it and im still blown away every single time by how lovely you guys are <3


	6. Chapter 6

Niall couldn’t actually believe that he was somehow able to embarrass himself even further. It’s just… when Liam had his mouth back on him, his finger slowly thrusting into him, dragging across his walls, his own spit making the glide easy and messy, Niall simply wouldn’t have been able to shut his damn mouth even if he had wanted to.

He was really trying though, for no particular reason actually because no one would have heard them in here anyways and Liam actually seemed to really enjoy just how vocal the blonde was because he always made sure to thrust his finger even deeper whenever he got a particularly loud moan out of the blonde. There was absolutely no way Niall would survive this night.

Giving a last lick to Niall’s hole, Liam suddenly pulled back, retracting his finger as well and Niall wanted to complain and whine, but instead, he kept his eyes pressed shut, biting his own arm as he waited for the brunette to continue. The good news was, now Niall finally knew what Liam had been getting from somewhere in his room before and had simply thrown on the mattress, the bad news was… Niall had been even _less_ prepared for that.

It was lube, simple as that, and Liam did warm it up in his hands before rubbing a tight circle over Niall’s hole, barely dipping his finger in, but it still caused the blonde to flinch, the thought of just how easily Liam would be able to stretch him now made Niall want to scream. “You alright up there?”

“Um… y-yeah… “ Niall choked out, his cock rock hard, sandwitched between his belly and the mattress, but he would have to hold back after Liam had asked him to, wouldn’t want to disappoint the older man. Who knows, in the end he wouldn’t fuck him after all. 

Liam’s first finger went in fairly easy by now, even easier with the help of lube and Niall bit into his own arm again when the brunette added a second finger alongside the first, slowly but still barely stopping before starting to thrust them in and out gently, somehow brushing that spot inside of Niall that made him see star and somehow not. He was doing it on purpose, definitely.

The thought that this was probably only the very first time out of many made Niall even more excited and eager than he had already been. He wanted Liam to just get on with it, had to physically keep himself from thrusting back against the older’s thick digits inside of him, now scissoring apart and creating a lovely stretch somewhere between pleasure and pain that had Niall sighing out Liam’s name. Nobody had ever made him feel like this before and Liam hadn’t even really done anything so far. 

“Liam… “ Niall tried, as if he would be able to tell the brunette what he wanted without actually having to say it. What would he have said anyways? Get your fucking cock inside me?

There was no answer, Liam just kept thrusting his fingers, deeper now, brushing Niall’s prostate just barely before he suddenly added a third finger, stretching the younger’s rim each time he would pull them out and shove them back, clearly with a purpose. Fuck, Niall was going to blow if Liam kept this up, his fingers were so long and thick and hot and… damn, he really knew how to use them too.

“L-Liam… I… I can’t- _fuck_.” Without a warning, Liam had bit down onto one of Niall’s arse cheeks, not particularly deep or in a way that would have hurt the blonde, but shit… why was this such a turn on?

“C’mon, you can do it, Niall, wouldn’t wanna come before I fucked you, would you?” His voice had turned all patronizing again, as if he was talking to a child and it caused Niall to groan deeply against his own skin, Liam’s free arm wrapped across his lower back, keeping him from squirming too much. “It’ll be so much better if you try and hold back, yeah?”

See? How would Niall have been able to disappoint Liam? Even if it was bloody hard and even if the brunette was kinda _asking_ for it with these deep long thrusts, the amount of lube he had applied now trickling down Niall’s skin, down to his balls and undoubtedly the sheets as well, a wet sound coming from Liam’s fingers each time he pushed them back inside the blonde. 

He was doing it on purpose, pushing Niall so close to the edge that he thought he would literally come right then and there, he fucking _dared_ the blonde to mess it up, tested just how far he could push him until he would give in, only so he could suddenly slow down again, give Niall a second to breathe before suddenly sneaking one finger down to rub over the blonde’s taint with one fingernail. What an absolute asshole.

Somehow, very surprisingly, Niall managed to hold back for what felt like 10 years but had probably only been 10 minutes or something, nothing on his mind anymore except for just how badly he wanted to come and let go and maybe Liam noticed because he _finally_ took pity on the blonde, pulling his fingers out slowly, pressing a kiss onto the base of his spine. “You still want me to?”

“Y-Yes… just… do it…” Niall half groaned out, still not having opened his eyes, his voice sounding nothing like it normally did and the chuckle that Liam let out almost making him angry. God, why did he have to drag it out so incredibly much?

“Alright. Turn around then.” Liam didn’t ask, he told Niall what to do and the really sad part was, Niall complied immediately, even if turning onto his back was the very last thing he wanted to do. His chest was heaving as he looked at Liam through half closed eyes, his erection resting against his hip, precum smeared all over his skin and the sheets that were now directly under his ass. “Hmmm… look at you…. maybe I don’t wanna fuck you just yet, maybe I wanna… try something else.”

“ _Liam_ … “ Now it was genuinely getting ridiculous, Niall felt like crying as he saw Liam’s smirk, a part inside of him wanting to find out what exactly Liam had in mind, but he had answer enough when the older’s fingers wrapped around his cock, very lightly, barely touching the skin as he traced the veins, causing Niall’s back to arch a little bit. “D-Don’t… “

Without thinking about it, Niall had wrapped his hand around Liam’s wrist to make him stop, his chest moving so fast that he could barely even catch a breath, moving an arm across his eyes in embarrassment. It wasn’t even that Liam could stare him like this, naked and hard, it was more that the brunette had wrapped the blonde around his little finger and they both knew it. “Alright, alright… I guess you deserve a reward for being so good… “

This time when Liam let go of him, Niall almost let out a sigh of relief, letting his arm fall behind his head as he watched the older man climbing off of the mattress, winking all cheekily at him before he simply took off his boxer shorts, causing Niall’s already burning face to grow even redder. Liam was so thick and big and three fingers had probably not prepared Niall in the slightest, but he didn’t care because already for the second time, he had this really graphic image of his mouth stretched around Liam’s cock and the older’s fingers in his hair as he was fucking his face. Not that Niall was going to suggest that now, he wouldn’t have survived having to wait any longer. 

Liam got a condom from his nightstand table before coming back, his facial expression making no secret about just how much he enjoyed Niall staring at him like that. The blonde’s mouth honestly felt dry as he watched Liam rolling the condom on his length before jerking himself off a few times to spread the lube in his hands and… Niall could have come from simply that, from simply seeing Liam touching himself. 

“You sure about this?” No idea why he kept asking, Liam pushed Niall’s propped up legs further apart as the blonde nodded almost too eagerly, his pulse going so quick that he was genuinely scared that he was going to suffer some sort of attack. “Tell me if you need me to slow down or something, alright?”

That was the thing, Liam always sounded so bossy and as if he would manhandle Niall to his liking, but he actually wasn’t doing that at all and for some reason, that made Niall want to be fucked by Liam even more. Not only was he extremely and mind blowingly attractive, he was also really sweet and on top of that, he really knew what he was doing, which probably came from the fact that he was older than Niall, but… it was hot either ways. 

When Liam leaned back over him, one hand pushed between them and the other on the mattress next to Niall in order to support himself, Niall let his eyes fall closed again, wanting to reach for Liam but being kinda distracted by the head of the older’s swollen erection bumping against his stretched entrance, barely pushing in but it already seemed to punch all the air out of Niall’s lunges. 

Liam was so much thicker than three fingers, for a moment Niall almost thought he wouldn’t be able to take it, actually had to hold his breath as Liam pushed in further, leaning down closer towards the younger boy until their faces were only inches apart, shivery breath mixing, their hips pressed flush together as he bottomed out, staying still for now. 

“Niall?” He asked, probably because the blonde hadn’t made a sound in a while, trying to get used to the feeling of Liam filling him out completely, pulsing inside of him. 

“I… “ Niall started, forcing his eyes to open only to stare right into Liam’s, seeing the slight worry in the older’s face. Oh god, if he thought that Niall was uncomfortable, maybe he would pull out or suggest they stop and… no way. “I’m fine… you can… you can move.”

Ignoring the request, Liam simply kept studying Niall’s face underneath him before suddenly leaning down to connect their lips, his tongue immediately slipping into the younger’s already half open mouth, distracting him from the dull pain he felt from having the older man inside of him. Almost unconsciously, Niall moved his arms around Liam’s neck, wanting to keep him close, keep on kissing him because it felt like they hadn’t been snogging in hours. 

For just a second, Niall almost thought it was slightly gross, to be kissing Liam now that his tongue had literally been… in Niall’s ass, but he quickly got over that as he felt the older’s hand pushing between their bodies, yet again loosely wrapping around the younger’s erection, as if he was trying to distract him, help him to get used to the feeling. 

They kissed for a while, deep and desperate, Niall’s fingers curling tightly into Liam’s hair to keep his head close. Whenever Liam moved the tiniest bit, Niall automatically held on tighter, his breath quickly running short from all the snogging and the brunette’s hand jerking him off, really slowly though, teasingly almost. 

“Liam… you… you can… move… “ Niall repeated himself, half moaning into the older’s mouth, at the same time not wanting to stop kissing him for just a second. 

He didn’t answer, his tongue was still exploring the younger’s mouth, free hand now cupping Niall’s cheek, thumb rubbing over his cheek as he pulled back a little, teeth grazing Niall’s bottom lip. Liam only barely moved at first, not even really pulling out, it seemed like he was just kind of testing it, circling his hips, fucking Niall with the thickness of his cock rather than his length. Honestly though, that would have been enough as well.

It felt as if Niall had gone straight to heaven and he couldn’t believe it, Liam hadn’t even really done anything so far besides kissing him deeply, his body feeling all hot and heavy against Niall’s, pressing him into the mattress, the only thing the younger boy could smell being the older’s skin and shower gel as he clung to him, desperate, trying not to break the kiss and gasp for air. 

He wanted to tell Liam to hurry up, wanted to tell him to just go for it because he wouldn’t hurt Niall or break him, but it seemed like there was no real need to. Liam gave the blonde a few moments to adjust, kissing him through all of it, his hand moving away from in between their bodies once more, only giving Niall about half a second to be sad about that, the deep strokes of the brunette’s tongue distracting him.

Anything that had happened so far though, was absolutely nothing compared to when Liam finally moved properly.

The first thrust almost punched all the air out of Niall’s lunges he had left, Liam’s erection pressing right into his prostate, the blonde’s moan being numbed by Liam’s mouth still on top of his, kissing him even more deeply now that he was properly fucking him, still not quite as hard as Niall would have liked, but… it was close enough.

Their breaths were everything that was audible in the room, and the wet sound of Liam thrusting into Niall, their spit slicked lips meeting over and over again. It was really fucking hot in the room all of a sudden, Niall felt all sweaty and bothered already but in the best way possible, his arms already hurting from holding onto Liam so tightly and his legs burning from having to keep them spread. 

When Liam’s mouth finally slipped off of Niall’s and Niall was allowed to let those moans out without anything stopping him, the bed was squeaking just a little bit, the older’s thrusts getting harder, deeper, almost causing Niall to bite his lip bleeding. “ _Shit_ … L-Liam… harder… “

“So needy, huh?” The older man was panting into Niall’s ear now, lightly biting into his earlobe while Niall just kept his eyes pressed shut, forcing his weak legs to wrap around the back of Liam’s so he could get the brunette even closer, somehow force him to thrust deeper. “That what you wanted, baby?”

“Y-Yeah… aaah… shit… Liam… Liam, I-I can’t…” Yet again, Niall was so close to blowing that he wanted to cry, Liam felt so bloody good inside of him, filling him out completely, seemingly knowing just the right angle to make the blonde scream. Alright, well, maybe Niall wasn’t really trying to hold back anymore, especially because he knew just how much Liam seemed to enjoy hearing his own name coming out of Niall’s mouth whenever they… did something, so, there was that. 

“C’mon, Niall, you’ve been so good… _shit_ … you feel so fucking good, you’re so tight and… ‘m almost there, just… don’t come just yet, Niall. Don’t.” Shit, there was that bossy voice again and this time Niall couldn’t help but whine a little, making Liam laugh breathlessly into his ear, not slowing down with his thrusts though, his skin slapping against Niall’s, the younger’s legs slipping off because he simply couldn’t hold them up any longer. 

There was no point in begging, Niall was aware of that, so he just kept moaning Liam’s name, throwing his head back as the older moan started sucking bruises onto his skin, fucking Niall even faster than before, clearly with a purpose now. 

“Fuck, Niall… “ When he was getting kinda sloppy, Niall honestly thought that he was going to die or something, if Liam wouldn’t allow him to come just like in the changing room and then stupid as he was the blonde would probably obey and eventually… Liam would kill him. Or maybe not. “You wanna come, Niall, huh? Wanna come with me?”

“Y-Yeah, Liam… _please_ …” God, Niall was so pathetic, he actually tried to get a hand in between them to touch himself, feeling sweat forming on his forehead as Liam’s came resting against his, breathing heavily against the younger’s wet lips

“Go on then… “ He half whispered and that was all Niall needed to _finally_ let go, barely even having had a hand wrapped around himself before he was spilling between their bodies, Liam’s grunts in his ear and his very sloppy an erratic thrusts dragging it out even longer, sending Niall straight to cloud nine, his toes curling and his fingernails probably breaking skin from how desperately he was clinging to the older man as they were both riding out their highs. 

“ _Oh my god_ … “ Was all that escaped Niall as he was slowly coming down from it, his chest heaving and Liam’s body feeling even heavier on top of his afterwards, still breathing quite heavily into his ear. Honestly, how had Niall managed to get Liam to have sex with him? To actually _pay_ him for it when he could have basically slept with anybody he wanted?

“Good, yeah?” Liam asked as if he needed the confirmation, suddenly all back to his cocky and arrogant self but Niall was so flushed and sweaty all over that he didn’t even mind, his limbs feeling weak as hell and sleepiness coming over him more quickly than he would have liked. Shit. “Didn’t think I’d get you to scream my name _this_ many times… “

“I… I mean… you… “ He had kept Niall waiting all day long, and he had even still been teasing him minutes ago and obviously Niall had been so worked up that when he had finally been _allowed_ to come, it had been more intense than anything he had ever felt. Still though, the fact that it had been Liam, the fact that he knew just what got Niall going for some reason… there was no doubt in the blonde that it wouldn’t have been just as good had Liam not been fucking teasing him like that. “I… “

“Wow, at a loss of words, are we?” When he lifted his head, his hair was sticking to his forehead, his lips were all puffy and red and yet he still raised an eyebrow at the blonde, not even having pulled out yet, staring at the blonde half amused and half proud before he suddenly kissed him. Honestly though, what did Liam need to feel proud about anymore, surely, he had blown everyone’s mind he had ever fucked. “You alright, though, yeah? You look a bit… “

“No, I… I’m fine, I… “ Niall had no idea what to say as Liam pulled back fully after kissing him one more time, a string of spit connecting them for a moment and the blonde couldn’t help but think that it was oddly hot whenever the older man was kissing him this messily. God, speaking of which, he felt so filthy, but somehow in a really good way? In a way like he never even wanted to move again or go shower, wanted to stay just like this, taste Liam in his mouth and breathe in his scent. 

This was absolutely crazy, Niall would have never actually thought that it would happen, that they would genuinely hook up and… but they had, and it had been 100 times better than the blonde could have ever even imagined. 

It was only when Liam started to move after a few minutes of them catching their breath, pulling out of the younger boy before getting up and off of the bed that Niall realized that he would probably have to move as well. The brunette didn’t care just one bit walking around naked like that in front of Niall, his body glistering with sweat as he discarded the condom in the bathroom, coming back with a few tissues. 

At least Niall hadn’t gotten anything onto the sheets because even though he knew there would have been no bloody reason to be embarrassed about that… he still kinda would have been. So he thanked Liam for the tissues, rather quietly, having to actually clear his throat a time or five, purposely not looking at the older man’s naked body. 

After cleaning himself up, Niall hesitated for a moment, watched Liam sitting on the edge of the bed and grabbing his phone, as if nothing had even happened between them and… it wasn’t like… like Niall had _thought_ anything else would happen, he was just… really unsure about what to do now.

So, as to not make it weird, he ended up climbing out of bed, collecting his sweatpants from the floor and putting them back on while Liam was busy texting somebody on his phone, as if this was a regular thing for them as if… as if it was normal routine.

“What’re you doing?” The brunette finally asked once Niall came back after having thrown the used tissues into the dustbin in the bathroom, purposely avoiding the mirror because he didn’t need to see his reflection to know that he looked proper fucked. He was. 

“I… I think I’m gonna… go to sleep.” That had sounded good, right? Not needy or anything, not as if Niall would have been up for a round two or… it was only his first night here, he didn’t need to overdo it.

“Oh, alright.” Was all Liam said, a little bit to Niall’s disappointment, not at all sounding as if he would have potentially wanted him to stay or keep going with… whatever. Instead, he simply stood up, phone in one hand and still bloody naked, a smirk on his face as he walked all up into Niall’s space, kissing him right on the mouth. “Night.”

“Uh… goodnight.” Niall half choked out, feeling kinda embarrassed about almost having thanked Liam for the sex? Like… who the hell did that?

Luckily though, he managed to hold back, just straight up walked to Liam’s nightstand to get his phone before simply walking out of the older’s room, trying not to feel too extremely weird about this situation. It was fine, they had just had sex and now Niall was going to sleep in the guest room that Liam insisted on calling ‘his’ room, it… it wasn’t weird, was it? At least not for the kind of… arrangement that they had.

It only felt slightly… wrong?

Then again, the sex clearly made up for everything, Niall couldn’t even remember just how boring the event had been and how much he was convinced that Liam’s parents hated him. All he could think of when he lied down on the bed, not even bothering to pull the covers over himself just yet, was that his whole body hurt, especially his ass, but… he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Niall felt like he should have gone shower, but… everything still smelled like Liam and Niall decided that he kinda liked feeling this filthy, liked not properly cleaning himself up because… it made the memory seem a lot more real. 

There was a text message from Harry on his phone, sent like 40 minutes ago when he and Liam had just gotten started and though it didn’t really consist of much, it gave Niall a little tuck in the pit of his stomach. 

 

_From Harry 1.35 am  
Mate… don’t know what you’ve been up to but ive completely underestimated that guy… if yknow what I mean ;)_

 

He couldn’t reply, not after two am when he was supposed to be pretending to be asleep, but all Niall could think was that tomorrow, when he got home, after having to pretend he had been at work, it was going to kill him internally having to listen to Harry’s night and not being able to tell his best friend about any of this.

Of course he could have told him, but… it was so bad that Niall had waited until now that he felt as if telling Harry would have just made it worse. And he didn’t want anybody to burst this bubble, didn’t want anybody to really confront him and tell him how fucking insane he was for doing this, for letting some rich dude pay him to keep him company and have sex with him because…

Hell, Niall had never planned for this to happen, but now that it had, he was… in denial about sharing this … kinda dirty secret, especially with Harry because… what if he tried to talk sense into Niall? So Niall yet again decided not to say anything, he just put his phone away and closed his eyes, trying not to think about how Liam had felt inside of him so he could get some rest.

 

\----------------------

 

Waking up on Sunday, Niall felt like he had gotten a better sleep than in the past ten years or something, which probably came from the fact that the bed in Liam’s spare room was twice the size of his own and the mattress… damn. The blonde was slightly confused when he woke up, not even having set up an alarm and he was almost about to freak out about oversleeping, about having forgotten about work.

But then slowly, the memories came creeping back, the dull pain in his legs and arms and other places, his skin feeling a bit sticky because he had skipped the shower last night. There was bright light shining in through the window, right into the blonde’s face and he tried to turn away, tried to pull the covers back over his head as he blindly searched for his phone.

Niall had no idea how late it was or where Liam was, but he also didn’t really feel like immediately getting up and checking. Maybe it was really early and Liam was still asleep anyways, the younger boy didn’t really want to walk around in the older’s apartment like that, even though he knew Liam wouldn’t have cared just one bit, but… Niall had only spent one single night so far.

There were two things that Niall noticed once he had finally found his phone between the sheets. One, it was already 12 pm and two… he was a little bit fucked. 

 

_From Harry 8:56 am  
Heyyy u ok? Just came home and im a bit worried, I thought youd still be asleep but your bed is made? Since when do you make your bed haha_

_From Harry 9:34 am  
Are you alright? where are you?_

_From Harry 10:58 am  
Niall seriously? Where the hell are you_

_From Harry 11:47 am  
Alright, its obvious you didn’t spend the night at home and that youre not at work because your bag is where its always lying so where the fuck are you? honestly if you don’t call or text me back within an hour im gonna call the police or something_

 

Great. This was just… bloody amazing. Niall groaned as he closed his eyes again, phone still in his hand, not knowing what to answer. He hadn’t thought Harry would come back this early, honestly, what was he doing up at 8.56 on a Sunday?! The thing with the bag with his working clothes had been Niall’s mistake of course, but… now that Harry knew that he hadn’t spent the night at their dorm, the first part of course was even more inconvenient.

Niall felt really sick to his stomach as he quickly typed out a reply, hating himself for yet again lying, for actually getting himself into this whole mess even deeper than he had already been. 

 

_To Harry 12:09 pm  
Sorry, I slept at a friends place! Ill be home later._

 

Liam WAS a friend after all… right? Not wanting to see the answer, the blonde forced his aching body to crawl out of bed, leaving his phone behind on the mattress and simply going through his bag to find some clean clothes. He didn’t really wanna go see Liam looking as messy and fucked up as he felt, it was bad enough that his arse was hurting every time he took a step.

Usually Niall would have maybe been slightly more nervous about simply using the shower and brushing his teeth in someone else’s apartment, but… Liam had bought all of that stuff for him to use and besides, he seemed to want Niall to act as if he was at home here, so… he knew the older man wouldn’t say anything. This was what he had wanted after all, this was what their arrangement was. Even if… even if Niall still needed some more time to get used to all of this.

When he was clean and dressed, the blonde pocketed his phone without reading the message from Harry he had surely received just seconds after hitting sent. Instead, he took a few deep breaths before opening his door, waiting for a moment to check whether he heard anything. But, nothing, it was dead quiet in here and sure, there were the occasional street sounds, but… the building was too high to really hear them that well.

So since Niall had no idea what else to do, he went on a little search for Liam, which promptly ended once he entered the kitchen, not even having had to check Liam’s bedroom. There was a note on the counter, next to a key and what seemed to be at least 50 bucks. Oh. 

There was a kind of sinking feeling in Niall’s stomach as he picked up the note, trying to be relieved instead of slightly disappointed. He had been a little bit afraid of the morning after, if he was being quite honest, however now that Liam very obviously wasn’t even here, the blonde realized he would have still preferred feeling a little bit awkward for a few minutes rather than being here all on his own.

 

_Niall,_  
_I got a call and I had to go to the office – Sorry. I’ll only be back in the evening, so if you leave use the key I left you and take the money to get an Uber or something. Also, you can eat everything that’s in the fridge or really use anything you want, I don’t mind. I’ll call you later._  
_Also… I hope you’re not too sore ;)_  
_-Liam_

 

Right, so… He wouldn’t come back before Niall had to leave. He had written IF Niall left, but… they both knew that the blonde couldn’t wait until god knows how long, he had classes tomorrow morning and also, the much bigger problem, Harry. Well, at least no one would see him getting out of Liam’s car again and at least Niall wouldn’t be tempted to stay too long if Liam wasn’t even here.

Well, obviously he would still be tempted, but… not quite as much.

 

\-----------------

 

“Um… I still don’t believe you.” Harry said for the five millionth time and Niall rolled his eyes at the ceiling, hoping that his friend didn’t notice the red spots appearing all over his face. “What kinda friend was that?”

“I already told you… you don’t know him.” Technically that was true, right? Niall hadn’t been lying so far, only… the last few days, but… that was different. He couldn’t tell Harry, not now, not like this. “Look, does it honestly matter who it was? You were gone also, I didn’t think you’d even be back this early, what were you doing at 9 am on a Sunday?”

“He had to get up early, so what was I supposed to do? His dorm room is even smaller than ours, so…” It was unlike Harry, to not immediately start talking about his night and start bragging about how amazing it had been. Nope, he was only focused on where the hell Niall had been and the blonde just couldn’t bring himself to tell him. “So what was his name again? Your… _friend_ , I mean?”

“I… if I tell you you’re just going to ask around for him or stalk him online.” Gosh, Niall was going to die, he was such a bad liar on top of that and Harry was so good at reading him like an open book that it was actually a miracle that Niall was still able to keep the thing with Liam a secret. “I just… I know him from some class I had last semester and then… I don’t know, we just hung out and it got late, I guess. What’s the big deal? You were gone as well? I don’t have to tell you about where I am every second of the day.”

“Sorry for being worried about you? No need to act like such a pissbaby, Jesus.” Oh, so now it was Niall who was being unnecessarily aggressive?! “You know, if you don’t come home and I don’t do anything then it’d be my fault in the end if something did in fact happen to you.”

“Okay, okay, I… I’m sorry, yeah? I’m gonna text you next time I’m sleeping at someone else’s place, if that makes you happy.” Niall couldn’t do this anymore, he would have to tell Harry the truth and then the younger boy would be so mad at him that he possibly wouldn’t ever talk to him again. 

They had been discussing this for over an hour now, after Niall had gotten home, quite a bit later than he had anticipated. He had stayed at Liam’s place way longer than he had planned on, telling himself that he hadn’t been waiting for the older man to come home when he knew that he wouldn’t be coming anyways. So when Niall had eventually left and decided to take public transport just to push the moment where he would have to face Harry further away, he had needed over an hour to get home.

And sadly, Harry had been there, on his laptop, and now Niall was lying in his bed, hoping that Liam wouldn’t be calling him in the next hour or so. Or that he’d at least text him at first so that Niall could make sure Harry wouldn’t notice and feel even more like a shitty friend and a sneaky asshole. 

“Thank you so much, Niall.” It sounded more than sarcastic, but… what had Niall been expecting? “So, did you hook up or no?” 

His voice had changed a little, suddenly sounding more interested and Niall groaned as he moved an arm over his eyes. Harry had probably noticed, how careful he had been sitting down on his bed before, and… if he had to lie about everything else, Niall probably shouldn’t be lying about this.

“Um… yeah. Kind of.” He finally said, hating the fact that heard Harry sitting up more straight in his own bed, probably thinking of a hundred questions to ask all at once. “But, it’s… it’s not like… not like I like him or anything, we… were just… bored.”

“Right.” The younger boy laughed and Niall started to feel embarrassed once more as he was suddenly confronted with a bunch of flashbacks from last night and… if Harry had known how Niall acted around Liam, how… how willing he was to do anything the older man wanted him to, and then the thing that had happened in the changing room… “And before you did that you made out with Liam at work or what?”

“I… no, I… he… he wasn’t… he wasn’t there, so. I… he’s really terrible at golf, so… he probably gave up or something, um…“ Of course Harry had been bound to ask and luckily none of Niall’s coworkers went to his uni or he couldn’t have simply been here lying like that without Harry finding out. “How was your night though? You didn’t even tell me anything yet.”

“It was great. I mean, I don’t think we’ll hang out again, but… “ That was so Harry though that Niall wanted to roll his eyes again but he instead decided to keep them closed. He couldn’t believe that just for once he actually wanted his friend to provide him with more details about his sex life, actually wanted to keep asking questions just so they wouldn’t have to talk about where he had been last night. “How… how was your night? You seemed to be, uh… a bit uncomfortable sitting down before.”

“I… that has nothing to do with anything, I was just, umm… I mean… I kinda… I slipped when I… when I got off the bus and… “ Niall was honestly digging his own grave with every single word that left his mouth, but he just couldn’t seem to stop piling on lie after lie even though it was obvious by now that Harry didn’t even believe him.

“Right, well… sounds like a fun night then.” Harry simply said, ignoring the lie about the bus and Niall kinda wanted to die. “Did you already eat or-“

The younger boy was promptly cut off by Niall’s phone going off quite noisily in the blonde’s pocket and Niall almost fell out of bed as he tried to get a hold of it, his heart bumping fast as he tried telling himself that it was surely his mother or some friend of his, but… it wasn’t.

“Who is it?” Harry asked, kinda casually but also a bit curious, Niall felt his best friend’s stare as he didn’t give an answer, hesitating for a moment before picking up because… what the hell, he wouldn’t get rid of Harry anytime soon to call Liam back and also… he kinda was really desperate to hear the man’s voice.

“Um… hey.” Niall tried to keep his voice casual, so Harry wouldn’t be able to figure out who it was, turning the volume down a bit because the other boy was definitely leaning a bit closer in his own bed. 

“Hey. Have you gotten home alright?” Liam sounded quite cheerful, there were voices in the background so Niall assumed he was still at his office, probably on a break or something. Should he have really felt flattered that Liam had decided to ‘waste’ his break on speaking to the blonde?

“Yeah, I… I’ve been home for a while. Thanks for, uh… you know.” Niall didn’t wanna say thanks for the money because then Harry would have probably figured it out but he also didn’t wanna say nothing because it would have been incredibly rude. He also hadn’t taken all of the money anyways, only as much as he had known public transport would cost, which hadn’t been all that much. “How… how was your day so far?”

“Really long and kinda boring. Sorry I had to leave, I tried waking you, but you barely even moved so I thought I’d just let you sleep.” Liam had been in the spare room while Niall had been asleep?! Alright, that was… unexpected. “How was yours?”

“It was… fine. I’m just at my dorm now, with Harry.” Just so Liam knew that Niall wasn’t alone, but as soon as it was out and the blonde heard his friend moving yet again and Liam laughing rather loudly through the phone, he kinda really regretted it.

“Oh, really? And, have you told him where you’ve been?” Of course he was going to joke about it now, Niall should have seen it coming.

“Ummm… not yet.” Honestly, the blonde hadn’t felt this nervous in quite a long time and that really said something. It’s just… Harry was right fucking _there_.

“And you still picked up your phone? Damn, you’ve been really desperate to talk to me, haven’t you?” He seemed to think it was really funny because he chuckled yet again, obviously having moved somewhere more quiet and Niall felt himself blushing because… it was true after all.

“Well, I… it would have been rude to… to not pick up.” Also, Harry would have still asked who it had been and at least this way, Niall had more time to figure out what he was going to say afterwards. Plus, he got to talk to Liam. 

“Right. Do you wanna talk about last night?” God, Liam could be such an asshole if he wanted to and Niall couldn’t even pull a face, couldn’t say _anything_ at all because he knew just how closely Harry was watching him, trying to figure out who was on the phone. “Just because I noticed that you didn’t look very comfortable walking afterwards. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No, I… you didn’t.” Niall was almost certain that he was going to mess up at some point, because it had sounded as if Liam was just being sweet and nice by asking that, but the blonde knew him too well by now to think that that had been his only intention.

“Okay, good. You gotta tell me immediately though, if anything’s ever up, alright? But you sounded like you were enjoying yourself very much, so… “ There it was, Niall didn’t need to see Liam’s face to know that he had the cockiest and proudest look on his face, he didn’t need to be with Liam to actually get all flustered and bothered by it either. “Good thing I don’t have any neighbors, huh? Didn’t think you’d be quite this vocal.”

“I… I really… don’t know what to say.” That was the most appropriate thing Niall could manage, again hearing Liam laugh in the background, continuing his little game of embarrassing the blonde to the bones. 

“You don’t have to say anything, you’ve said quite a lot last night anyways.” Oh god. “Is Harry still there?”

“Um… yes?” Niall wanted to sound upset but he just couldn’t bring himself to and also, it would have just meant he’d have to explain even more after ending this call. 

“Do you want me to call you back later?” Actually, Niall hadn’t been expecting this at all, he had thought Liam would keep going, possibly even start his dirty talk again, but he actually sounded quite serious all of a sudden, concerned even.

“No, it’s… it’s fine, I just… “ He just wouldn’t be able to give very informative answers and it actually bothered Niall quite a bit that he was taking all of this on him just so he could talk to Liam for a few minutes. It was kinda hot though, thinking about it, thinking of Liam as his secret and just how damn close Harry was to figuring it all out.

“I gotta get back to my meeting in a few minutes anyways. Actually, I just wanted to ask when you think you’ve got time next week? You took the key with you, right?” Oh god, was there another event or did Liam just want Niall to come and… hang out? 

“Yeah, I did, and, uh… I’m not sure yet, I…“ The thing was, if Niall told Liam when his classes ended each day then there was no bloody way he could have explained that to Harry without it being weird, so he kinda just hoped that Liam would figure that out by himself.

“Right, well, just text me your schedule or something? Or call me back later if you want, or you know, you can also just come over whenever you feel like it.” There it was again, that offer that Niall hadn’t really taken seriously until this morning when Liam had honestly left him a fucking spare key. He really wouldn’t have minded, would he, had Niall just gone to his apartment and hung out there all day long?

“I… okay… I’ll… I’ll just text you.” Probably not within the next hour, but… 

“Alright. Oh, and Niall?” His voice had again changed, from more serious to slightly more amused and Niall was already expecting the very worst.

“Um… yes?” At this point, Niall almost threw a look over at Harry, just to mentally prepare himself, but then he didn’t in the end, luckily.

“You should really tell Harry about this, he’s going to find out eventually unless you’re thinking about breaking it off within the next few days.” Great. Liam hadn’t sounded as if he seriously thought Niall would just end it between them and they both knew that Liam had him wrapped around his finger anyways, but… having the brunette telling him that he needed to tell Harry made Niall feel even guiltier. 

“I… I won’t. And I will, I just… gotta figure out how.” Which wouldn’t happen anytime soon and maybe never, maybe Niall would just wait, until Harry would figure it out by himself and then regret it for the rest of his life or something. 

They said their goodbyes afterwards and Niall still wasn’t sure what he was going to tell Harry, but of course, the younger boy didn’t leave him just one second to think about it either. “Who was that? Your new lover?”

“He’s not my _lover_ , Haz, but… yeah, it was him.” What else should Niall have said, honestly? Harry wouldn’t have believed him had he told him it had been his mum or something and besides, he knew he hadn’t sounded very animated or happy throughout the whole conversation, so at least now he could maybe convince Harry that he wasn’t in love with his imaginary hook up. 

“What’d he want?” Oh, for fuck’s sake.

“Uuuh… wanted to hang out again, but… I won’t, so… “ Shrugging, Niall pushed himself into a sitting position before getting out of bed, very careful not to meet Harry’s eyes though as he pretended to clean up a few clothes lying around, anything really that would maybe help him to change the subject. “Should we like… go get something to eat or so?”

“If you want to. We could also stay here and discuss your love life for a little bit longer.” Harry laughed, but at least he sounded somewhat carefree, not as if he was on the verge of realizing that his best friend was a big, fat liar. 

“It was just a one night stand, there’s nothing to discuss.” Niall realized only now that standing up maybe hadn’t been the best idea, but at least the pain had gotten somewhat dull. Honestly, he was just really glad that he had been wearing a hoodie all day long and that it apparently hadn’t slipped down far enough to reveal the love bites scattering his neck. 

“He doesn’t seem to see it like that though.” Now Harry was honestly trying to _tease_ Niall about some guy that didn’t even exist becoming all clingy with him and the ridiculousness of the situation would have made Niall laugh had he not been the one who would have to pay the consequences. 

“I… don’t care how he sees it, I didn’t make any promises.” There wasn’t anything left to clean so Niall went back to sit on his bed, feeling Harry’s eyes on him the whole entire time though. He just needed to play this cool, play pretend for a few more days until he had grown the balls to just say _it_. “So, d’you wanna get something to eat or not?”

“Yeah, sure, why not. But we gotta be back before it’s too late, I didn’t do any of my homework and I should probably practice my presentation for tomorrow.” Right, the one Niall had done, only two days ago and yet it already felt like a lifetime away. 

They dropped the whole topic luckily and Niall pretended as if he didn’t want to change his clothes because he was too lazy, when in reality, he just didn’t want the bruises on his neck to be on full display. Well, okay, also a little bit because bending down wasn’t really the best feeling in the world right now, so… 

 

\-----------

 

Ever since Niall had stayed at Liam’s place, the days seemed to go by a lot more slowly. Sure, they were texting throughout the day and talking on the phone and Niall had already made sure to think of excuses as to why he would be gone for at least one or two nights next week, but it still seemed as if he hadn’t seen Liam in ages when it had really only been two days.

It was Tuesday and Niall should have probably been relieved that his classes were over for the day, but he had kind of liked the distraction. Thinking about having sex with somebody who your best friend wasn’t allowed to know about was bloody hard. Of course Niall could have solved all these problems by simply telling Harry the truth, but they hadn’t talked about the weekend or Liam anymore in two days and it almost made Niall feel as if though he was getting away with it, which was very wrong, but… 

Harry had insisted that they went to the mall after uni, having had to take a pretty crammed bus for half an hour in order to get there and normally Niall would have probably not agreed as easily as he had, but considering the circumstances… 

“I gotta be back at the dorms before seven though, I’ve got a shit ton of homework and-“

“Yeah, yeah, don’t pee your pants, Nialler. We’ll be back in time for you to do your homework one year in advance, don’t worry.” The younger body rolled his eyes as they got off the bus and Niall immediately regretted even having spoken up. They wouldn’t be back before seven and they both knew it anyways. “We barely ever get away from campus anymore, except for work, but… that hardly counts.”

Well… Niall had been in London last weekend, but… “I know, but there’s not much we can do anyways, so… remember when we used to go see a movie every Friday in our first semester?”

“When we still thought our money would last? Yeah, that was quite funny, especially when we had to starve for almost a month.” They had become more organized by now, and not so careless about what they spent their money on, but talking about it after having checked his bank account in the morning, Niall again felt the familiar feeling of guilt bubbling up inside of him.

Liam had transferred so much money into his account as if he wanted Niall to start a new life or something and the blonde had tried to address it via text message, but he hadn’t gotten an answer yet because Liam was at work. Now that Niall had a key to the older’s apartment and enough money for public transport, now that he knew he was allowed to go there whenever he pleased… it made it even harder to just waste the rest of the day strolling through the mall with Harry, pretending like nothing was going on.

Harry seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go so Niall didn’t complain, he just followed his best friend, trying not to think about anything at all really except for the fact that he needed to subtly make sure to pay for whatever Harry wanted because... hell, Liam had given Niall so much money for no reason at all and Harry could barely afford anything anyways, that was really the least the blonde could do.

“I’ll just go and look for that book I need for my lecture, I’ll be right back.” They had barely been walking around, having ended up in some store looking at DVDs because apparently now that Niall would have appreciated Harry spending the nights with random guys, the younger boy had decided they should spend more time together. How convenient.

Niall just nodded as Harry left, continuing to look through the DVDs because he had nothing else to do anyways, not very motivated though to really choose something to buy. He should have really been at the dorms doing his homework, or at least being somewhat productive so that he could visit Liam this week, but there wasn’t much the blonde could have done to change that right now. He really hoped that Liam wouldn’t like… get bored of him, in a way? Like, if Niall didn’t have time to sleep over too often, would Liam just… find somebody else? But he wasn’t that kinda guy, right? And besides, it hadn’t even been a week and once Niall told Harry, everything would be easier.

_If_ he ever told him.

The younger boy was gone for so long that Niall started to get bored, walking around the store a bit, trying to think of something he might have needed now that he was already here, promptly bumping into somebody in the stationary isle.

“Oh… sorry.” The blonde apologized briefly, not even having looked properly at the guy he had simply walked into, about to just slip past and go look for Harry.

“No worries, I- wait. Niall?” Hearing his name in combination with that voice almost caused Niall’s head to snap as he looked up, eyes growing wide as he needed a moment to realize who he was standing in front of. Oh god, no. “Hey.”

It was Louis. Which Niall hadn’t noticed immediately because one, they had only met once and that had been a completely different setting and two, Louis looked so different now than he had at the event that Niall almost hadn’t recognized him. He was dressed all plan and simple in a hoodie, no product in his hair at all, not shaven either. Had Niall seen him at uni, he wouldn’t have even turned his head, which quickly brought him to the conclusion that Louis probably wasn’t as rich as he had thought, that he was probably just a normal guy who happened to work for somebody who was actually younger than him and who happened to be his best friend.

“Ummm… hi.” The blonde finally brought out after the first shock had passed, trying to subtly look around to make sure Harry wasn’t somewhere watching him. Shit, Niall was so screwed if he didn’t get rid of Louis within the next few minutes. “What… what are you… doing here?”

“Actually, I’m buying freaking expensive pens for work because you wouldn’t believe how picky your boyfriend is with that.” Louis sounded more than amused, he had used the word boyfriend on pure purpose just to see Niall’s reaction, the blonde didn’t have to be a genius to figure that out.

“He… he’s not my boyfriend.” He tried to clarify, immediately regretting it though because… actually, he had no idea what Liam wanted his best friend to believe concerning their arrangement.

“If you say so. You don’t happen to have one of his credit cards on you though, have you? Don’t really know why I should spend my own money on things he wants to have.” This was absolutely terrible, if Louis continued half yelling around like that, in a bloody store where Harry could have literally shown up any second then Niall was _screwed_.

“No, I… I don’t, umm… I actually… gotta go find a friend and… “ And nothing, Niall just wanted to leave, he was already nervously biting on his thumbnail, not being able to stop himself while his eyes were searching the store in a quite paranoid manner. Something that did not escape Louis’ attention.

“It’s the friend you still haven’t told about Liam, huh?” Shit. Could Louis maybe stop grinning like that?

“I mean… I’m going to… to tell him, just… “ Why was Niall even defending himself here? He had only ever met Louis once before and it’s not like he was _obliged_ to tell Harry anything at all, especially not just because some half stranger told him to.

“Well, I agree it was probably a lot easier for Liam. Although, I still have no idea what the actual deal is between you two, but I gotta say, I was really surprised when I met you. In a good way.” Wait… what?

“Ummm… why?” Okay, now Niall was curious after all, for a second even forgetting about Harry potentially showing up as he looked at the other man, feeling his cheeks growing hotter though as Louis shrugged, a smirk on his lips.

“I’ve met most people Liam was in a relationship with over the past few years, or people he had a thing with and… he was never as eager to have me meet them as he was with you. I mean, he kept it a secret for quite some time I suppose, but he was actually really excited to introduce us, and I was kinda afraid he’d bring yet another chick along that giggles at everything he says and has dollar signs in her eyes, but… I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, huh?” Louis laughed it off while Niall just stared, on one hand knowing that he really shouldn’t have been believing the older man like that because he was probably just joking, but on the other hand… it kinda got him excited and he absolutely hated it. “But don’t worry about it, he’s usually very committed in relationships… relationships of any sort, I mean.”

Before Niall could get even more embarrassed, could think of something smart to answer after Louis had winked at him because he was probably well aware just how uncomfortable he had made the blonde feel, things got even worse within the matter of a second.

“There you are, I was looking everywhere for you, I… wait, who’s that?” Bloody hell, why did Harry have to show up NOW?! How had Niall deserved any of this, he was a good person for fuck’s sake.

“Uhhh… that’s… that’s L-“

“Louis, hi, nice to meet you.” And then after simply interrupting Niall, Louis honestly reached out to shake Harry’s hand and Niall thought his eyes would pop out of his head when he saw them exchanging smiles, saw the very familiar look on his best friend’s face that he always got whenever he found somebody attractive. Oh no… 

“I’m Harry. Are you… a friend of Niall?” It was only then, when Harry asked with his eyebrow pulled up, that Niall suddenly realized that Harry thought that _Louis_ was the guy he had made up, the one he had pretended he had slept with and honestly, it couldn’t gotten any worse from this point, this was absolute rock bottom. 

“I guess you could say that.” Louis smirked, unknowingly confirming what was very obviously going through Harry’s head and Niall wanted to _die_. He couldn’t have even said anything, couldn’t have dragged his friend away because that would have only made him seem even more suspicious. He was screwed, whatever it was that he decided to do. 

“That’s… really cool. How… how do you guys know each other? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around uni.” Niall was going to punch Harry after this was over, even if it was his very own fault that he had gotten into such a ridiculous situation, but if Louis had indeed been who Harry thought he was then he would have been kind of an ass for asking this stuff. 

Instead of saying anything, Niall just made sure to stare at Louis, ever so slowly shaking his head at the older man, trying to beg him with his eyes to just keep his mouth shut, which was just commented with a very amused glance. “We actually met through another friend. I don’t go to uni anymore, I’ve already graduated. What’s your major though?”

And then they suddenly started chatting about uni and Niall thought he had ended up in a really shitty movie, or maybe a prank video or something because surely… this couldn’t be happening, could it? There was absolutely no way that this could have gotten worse, that Niall could have been even more embarrassed and- 

“… actually already thought you’re this rich guy Niall’s teaching how to golf and who he won’t shut up about because you kinda look the same age, but… that’s not the friend who introduced you though, is it? Liam… Payne, I think?” Apparently, Niall had been wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone :D
> 
> hope you all enjoyed part 2 of the smut haha, sorry again for having to split it between two chapters :p again, because i literally cant say it enough: THANK YOU for all the support and all the lovely comments and the amount of kudos (seriously, i dont think ive ever gotten so many so quickly!), i love you guys a lot and i really hope you enjoyed this chapter and are excited about whats going to happen next :)
> 
> i was feeling slightly down while writing this chapter bc of a tv show im watching (its SKAM if anyone is watching too) so i hope it doesnt show haha


	7. Chapter 7

Niall didn’t know how he had ended up in this situation nor did he really want to think about it but it felt surreal enough as it was. He didn’t even know anymore whose idea it had been or why anyone had even thought about it, but… here they were, all three of them, sitting at this café that Niall didn’t even like, almost feeling as if he could have vanished into thin air without Harry and Louis noticing.

They were really hitting it off, like _really_ hitting it off, and Niall had never been this confused and speechless before. Like… what were the odds, right? To bump into Louis, here and now, and then have Harry showing up and… this was crazy. 

“Oh my god are you serious, I read that book like 5 times!” Apparently they seemed to have all the same hobbies and they liked all the same things and had Niall not known better, he would have thought they were just playing it up to make fun of him. But they weren’t, he could tell by Harry’s face, knew exactly what it looked like when his best friend was into someone and he had no idea what to say or what to think because… this was already an even bigger mess than he had ever dared to imagine.

Louis had dodged the question about Liam before, he had thrown a very weird glance at Niall before suddenly dropping the pens he had been holding, scattering them all across the floor on pure purpose and Harry had immediately gotten down to help him, never really asking about how they had met again. Because apparently, they had 10 billion other things to talk about. 

The thing was, Harry still didn’t even know whether Louis was the one who Niall had pretended to have had a one night stand with, and then if he did believe that that was him and now he was flirting with him right in front of the blonde’s face… at least Niall wouldn’t have to feel guilty anymore for lying so much, right? Then again, Harry probably knew that Louis wasn’t that guy, he probably also knew that Niall had been lying and on top of that, he probably knew that Louis and him had indeed met through Liam. If Louis ever decided to leave, Niall was in some real trouble.

“I tried to get Niall to read it, but he seems to not be able to read, so… “ Harry shrugged, as if what he had just said was indeed true and as if there was nothing to be done about it.

“Well, I suppose it’s just not for everyone.” Louis argued, and Niall would have thanked him had he known what bloody book they were talking about to begin with. He was mostly staying quiet, not because he really wanted to but because he honestly had no idea how he was ever going to talk himself out of this bloody mess he had gotten himself into.

“Yeah, but like… he barely reads anything, I mean, maybe it’s ‘cos he has such a small attention span. I swear to god, our dorm is a bloody mess because he always forgets where he has put things.” For a second or two, Niall had to actually blink a few times and let Harry’s words and Louis’ laugh sink in before he realized that his best friend had just _genuinely_ been talking about him.

“Uh… Harry? I’m sitting right _here_ , you know?” What the hell?!

“Oh, relax, Nialler, it was just a joke. I mean, not all of it… you do contribute a lot to the chaos in our room, you know.” Harry suddenly sounded very accusing, as if they had just only discovered that their dorm was a bloody mess and were now trying to get to the core of the problem. It was like… being in the wrong film or something, that’s what Niall felt like as he stared at his best friend, with a half open mouth. 

“Ummm… you literally leave all your dirty clothes lying on the floor? You’ve never just once done our laundry on your own? Do you even _know_ where the washing room is?” Right, this was not a good conversation to have in front of Louis because he looked way too amused about this whole thing, obviously trying to fight back a laugh, but the blonde ignored him for now. 

“Of course I know where it is, I always go with you? It’s not like you have to do anything by yourself regarding our dorm, Niall. Besides, at least I’m not the one staying overnight at random people’s places without even telling you.” There it was, that one thing that was going to force Niall to tell Harry the whole truth because the look on his face clearly suggested that he was about to guess it anyways. “And I know it wasn’t Louis who you hooked up with.”

“I-“

“Woah, one second… What?” As soon as Louis had decided to speak up, half in the middle of laughing, Niall almost felt frozen with panic, desperately trying to come up with a way to switch the topic before it was too late. “I can assure you, we’ve never hooked up.”

“I wouldn’t have thought that anyways, only for a second before, but you’re not really… Niall’s type.” What?! “Fact is though that you still stayed away the whole night and… were you even at work? On Saturday? Because you didn’t go to work on Sunday either?”

“I… I mean… I was… I was just… “ Right, now it definitely was too late. Niall couldn’t even look into Harry’s eyes anymore, his cheeks hot and flushed, palms getting sweaty as he was nervously biting on his fingernails, almost being so desperate that he thought about throwing a look at Louis asking for help. But of course, Louis would have only made it worse, the smirk on his face was enough to give Harry a hint. “I wasn’t, but… I never said I was, so.”

“Ummm, yeah you did? I asked you if you had one of your make out sessions with Liam again and you said he never showed up, which implies that you were at work. But… you weren’t?” This was it, Niall was literally going to die, Harry was going to kill him and Louis was going to watch, but probably not before he had waited for the youngest boy to reveal even more secrets about him and Liam. Shit. 

“So who was the guy you were with? If it wasn’t Louis? And how do you even know Louis, like, for real? And without trying to change the topic like before?”

There was silence after this and Niall just kept on staring into his half empty cup, praying to god that Louis wouldn’t say anything. What was he supposed to do? He had to tell Harry, but he couldn’t really speak freely in front of Louis because what if Liam… didn’t want his best friend to know all the details about them? Fucking hell.

“I… look, I… I was going to tell you, I just… I didn’t… I didn’t know how and it’s like… I know that… it’s a bit, um… late? But… “ How was Niall going to say this? There was no way he would be able to look at either of the two, he honestly just wanted to get it out and be done with it. “I… I, um… I wasn’t at work because… because I was with… with Liam and… Louis is… he’s Liam’s friend and we… we only met for the first time on Saturday, so…”

Again silence, but a whole lot more uncomfortable this time, Niall half expected a punch or something even though Harry would have obviously not ever seriously hit him, but… the blonde would have sure as hell deserved it right now.

“Look, I… I’m sorry, okay? I just didn’t know… how to tell you because… “ Because he had no idea how to explain to Harry what he and Liam were doing without it sounding too freaky. But… there was no real way to make it sound normal so Niall just randomly broke off, not knowing how to continue and hoping Harry would kind of figure it out himself.

“So you… you’re telling me that not only did you lie about literally everything in the past few days but you also… you’re sleeping with that Liam guy? Are you… but you’re not like, _together_ , right?” Harry didn’t sound too mad right now, but that was only because he was probably shocked and Niall wasn’t stupid enough to think that he would be able to get away this easily. “Wait, but… you skipped _work_ to sleep with him?! I… oh my god, Niall… he fucking _didn’t_ … did he?!”

“Uh… what’s going on?” Louis randomly spoke up, as if he wasn’t in the loop, as if he didn’t’ have a part in any of this or something, but Harry ignored him anyways. Because there was one thing the youngest boy had just figured out without Niall even saying one word and the blonde wanted to die.

“He _paid_ you, didn’t he? I can’t believe this.” There it was, out in the open and for both Louis and Niall to hear. Had Niall known how easily Harry would figure it all out, he might have not bothered to keep it a secret for so long only to have it blowing up right in his face. Honestly, the blonde had never before been in a situation more embarrassing than this one. EVER.

“Wait… Liam’s paying you for sleeping with him? And for going to events with him?” Great and Louis also hadn’t known!

“What _events_?” If possible, Harry sounded even more surprised and Niall just pressed his lips together, because now that Harry knew, he had to find a way to tell Liam that he had accidentally and indirectly told Louis about their… arrangement and… in the end, they’d probably all be mad at him. Amazing. 

“Liam’s dad is really rich, actually, his whole family is, they own a really huge company and there’s all kinds of fancy events, blah blah blah, but… he’s really paying you for it? Damn… I kinda thought he was talking about something like that, but… didn’t think he’s really doing it.” Was it really bad, that Louis sounded so surprised also? Even though he was Liam’s best friend who was supposed to know him? “But hey… whatever… floats your boat, I guess.”

“Right, but maybe next time, go for something that won’t make you lie to me for days.” Right, now Harry was going to get angry, they had had enough fights in their lives for Niall to know how this was going to go down, only this time, it was entirely and 100% his own fault.

“Harry, I… “ Niall started, having to actually clear his throat as he finally looked up to meet his best friend’s eyes, not knowing how to continue. “I’m sorry, I… I really wanted to tell you, I just… “

“You were literally talking to Liam on the phone on Sunday, weren’t you? While I was in the room and then you pretended that it was some imaginary guy you’ve hooked up with.” Well… at least he hadn’t asked how much Liam had paid him exactly? Not that that was a relief because Niall was 100% sure that it was going to come up. “Look, I don’t… care what you do and with who and you are not like, obliged to tell me anything, just… you lied, multiple times and… why? You think I would have like… tried to talk you out of it?”

“No, I just… didn’t really know how to… how to explain… it.” Niall still didn’t know what to call it, he accidentally looked at Louis’ face, who looked more amused than Niall had ever seen him in the short time he knew him. God, if he was going to text Liam before Niall could talk to him… 

“Well, it’s simple though. He pays you so you can take days off work to… sleep with him and then accompany him to… whatever.” Wow, Harry didn’t at ALL make it sound like prostitution… “I mean… I never knew that you were into… that kinda stuff.”

“I… “ Niall hadn’t known either, he also wasn’t sure if he was really into _it_ or if he was just into it because of Liam but either way… he was embarrassed but he also wouldn’t have wanted to stop.

“If you’d met Liam you’d know why.” Was all Louis said, winking at the blonde as Niall once more accidentally looked at him, immediately regretting it. Honestly, he couldn’t decide whether Louis’ presence was making this better or worse, because he was kind of a bit of a buffer between Niall and Harry, but also… he apparently hadn’t been supposed to know. Not yet, at least, or Liam would have told him himself, or maybe the brunette hadn’t had the chance to since it had only been a few days, but fact was that Niall felt more than just guilty now. 

“Well, if Niall would have let me meet him… “ Harry shrugged, seemingly pissed off now even though he had never even asked to meet Liam but the blonde decided to stay quiet because really, he could have only made it worse at this point. “Why couldn’t _you_ have just told me that I was right before, Louis? That you met through Liam? Instead of dramatically dropping all your pens?”

“Niall looked like he was going to bite my head off if I told you, so… “ Well, Niall had been thankful for that when it had happened, but now Louis’ attempt to be somewhat nice to him had been completely pointless and yet he had managed to easily talk himself out of it. “I mean, boys, I can see why you’re fighting, but like… now it’s all out, right?”

“Yeah, but… that doesn’t make Niall’s lies undone. I don’t care what he’s doing and with who, I just thought he would tell me, that’s all.” There was really no way for Niall to tell himself that this wasn’t entirely his own fault, he should have just… ignored Harry’s questions instead of lying, but it was really damn hard to do so when the younger boy kept asking. And even harder because Harry himself always put his own love life out in front of Niall. “But… I guess there’s nothing to talk about anymore now. Are you gonna like… sleep over at his place more often, or…?”

“Um, I… I don’t know… I… probably… “ Niall felt so uncomfortable, hearing the tone in Harry’s voice, feeling his eyes on his face and on top of that having Liam’s best friend there to experience all of it first-hand. 

“Did he give you a key to his apartment?” It was Louis who asked, kinda randomly and Niall almost lied yet again even if there was no real reason to, but… he then decided to simply nod, because from now on, sticking to the truth was probably a better option. “Maybe you can convince him to let you have a party, I’ve already tried like 20 times, but you could put pressure on him by withholding sex or something.”

“No, he can’t because he gets paid for the sex.” Wow… 

“Right, that’s a problem… maybe if you ask really nicely, after blowing him or something.” Okay, now they were just taking the piss but Niall couldn’t even get mad because Harry had a right to be upset and Louis… well, they didn’t even know each other well enough to have a fight. “Sorry, that was kinda… out of line. But I’m being serious though, you could really ask him and then that way, Harry gets to meet him in a not so serious scenario.”

“I… I’m not gonna… ask Liam if I can throw a party at his apartment, I… “ This was literally crazy and even though the friends Louis’ would have invited probably weren’t drunk and loud uni kids like Niall’s friends, but… no way. “But… you can still meet him, if… if you want to, Haz.”

“Yeah, I… I’m gonna think about it.” He was pretending to be unsure about whether to forgive Niall or not and there was nothing the blonde hated more but… there also wasn’t much he could do about it other than nod, emptying his cup in one go just so he could push away the moment where he would eventually have to look up again. 

One good thing about having Louis there was that he didn’t lose his humor, that he just kept on talking about different things with Harry, kind of distracting him while Niall could use the chance to think about what he had just done, what was going to happen now.

And he knew that he should have probably been thinking of ways to make it up to Harry but instead he sat quiet for a few minutes before getting out his phone, ignoring the text messages he had from a friend and his mum and instead looking straight for Liam’s name. 

 

_To Liam 5.47 pm  
Hey… me & harry just bumped into louis at the mall and I kinda didn’t have a choice but to tell harry everything that’s going on between you and me and now louis knows that you are kinda giving me money. I’m sorry if he wasn’t supposed to know._

 

After hitting send, Niall felt slightly relieved for just a second before he realized that it would take hours for Liam to text back probably, if he ever texted back, maybe he’d just ignore Niall forever because he was so pissed at him. But Liam wasn’t that kinda guy, right? They were all grown-ups and besides, Louis would have found out eventually, wouldn’t he?

They stayed way longer than anticipated and when they parted at the mall exit, Louis and Harry swapped numbers, all casual, as if it wasn’t a big deal even though Niall could tell from the look on his best friend’s face that it kinda was. How could it be, that those two simply met and hit it off, by having a normal conversation and everything being so easy and no need for secrets or lies and meanwhile there was Niall who was literally getting paid for sex. 

When Harry and Niall got on the bus a few minutes later, they still hadn’t exchanged a word, or a look for that matter, and the blonde could feel the tension even though Harry was acting as if he was busy texting on his phone and checking his emails, but he had no idea how to break it so he stayed quiet as well as they waited for the bus to start moving.

It was really unexpected, when Niall felt his phone vibrate and he almost didn’t check, almost thought that it was his mother again, telling him off for ignoring her. But it wasn’t and even though the message barely even said anything, it caused Niall’s heart to beat just that tiny bit faster.

 

_From Liam 6.34 pm  
Its ok, love, don’t worry_

 

Liam wasn’t home from work yet, Niall knew because the brunette had told him he usually only got home at like 9 or something, so the fact that he had taken the time to answer the blonde just to make sure he wasn’t beating himself up over it almost made Niall smile. He should have known that it wouldn’t have been like Liam to get mad about something he himself had suggested.

“Are you texting Liam?” Harry just bluntly asked the minute the bus was suddenly moving and Niall locked his phone before very carefully turning his head to look at his best friend, another apology already on the tip of his tongue.

“Umm… not really, he’s at work, so… “Not that Harry had asked, but suddenly Niall felt like telling his best friend more about Liam, what he did for a living, how bloody amazing his apartment looked, how fucking hot he looked when he was naked, but… that seemed highly inappropriate. So instead, he decided to try one more time, this time without Louis being there to crack a joke, just him and Harry and hopefully… hopefully it’d come across right. “Harry, I… I really am sorry. I know I messed up and… I know I lied and… I just… I was, uh… before I met Liam, before he… before he suggested any of that, I… I would have never thought that… that I’d agree or… and I… I didn’t know what you were gonna say and I… I was scared to… to tell you.”

Harry didn’t say anything for a second, he was just looking at Niall, studying his face until the blonde had to blink and look down, a sinking feeling settling in his stomach as he thought about what he was going to do if Harry didn’t accept his apology. 

Right before Niall was about to freak out though, already thinking about what he was going to do if Harry asked him to switch dorm with somebody else, the younger boy finally spoke up, not at all sounding as angry as Niall had feared. “I know why you lied and why you didn’t tell me, I just… I wish you hadn’t felt the need to hide it? I… I get that sometimes I take it a bit too far and that maybe I’m asking a few too many question, but you’re my best friend and I just wanna know what’s going. I… I was mad at you, but… it’s alright. I mean… it is kinda… a surprise? But… if that’s what you… what you wanna do, then… go ahead, just… be careful? And don’t let him do anything you don’t want and… and tell me if anything’s up, alright?”

To say Niall was surprised was an understatement, he almost couldn’t believe that Harry was sitting here half smiling at him, for once in their lifetimes seemingly 100% serious. Alright, Niall definitely did NOT deserve this, for Harry to even offer his help now and… god, the blonde really was an asshole. “Thanks, Haz… and it’s not… not because of you that… that I didn’t wanna tell you, just… the overall situation, I guess… “

“I get it. But hey, he’s bloody rich, he can share some of that money, right?” It was a joke, just something to lighten the mood so Niall forced himself to a short laugh, relief spreading through him. “I can’t believe you were trying to hide Louis from me though, like… wow.”

“You… you’re really into him though?” That was actually a good question, but Harry only answered it with a shrug and a grin, not allowing Niall to keep on questioning him and weirdly enough, all Niall could think of right now was how much Liam was going to laugh when he told him about how well Harry and Louis got along, that they had exchanged numbers even. 

“Tell me about Liam. Or better, tell me about the sex. Only if you want to, I mean… are you gonna go see him again soon? Wait, is that why you wanted to be home by seven, so you can go stay at his place? Where does he even live? Shit, does he have like… a mansion or something?” Harry seemed to be genuinely interested in all these things all of a sudden and Niall couldn’t help but think that it could have been so damn easy, had he just told his friend from the beginning.

But there was nothing to change about that anymore, so instead Niall decided to simply feel lucky that his friend had not yet brought up the term ‘sugar daddy’ and did his best to answer all of Harry’s questions, except for the one whether he was going to go to Liam’s place tonight because now that it was all out and everyone knew… he might as well have gone to Liam’s place for real.

 

\--------------

 

It was 9.04 pm and Niall didn’t actually know what he was supposed to do until Liam got home, but he sure as hell wouldn’t be waiting in the older man’s bed, or like… not wear any clothes or something, even though maybe that’s what Liam would have enjoyed the most, but… it would have been really weird, to say the least.

Niall had only decided to come here last minute, he had taken an Uber this time because it had been much faster and he really wouldn’t have wanted to only come home after Liam was already there. Harry had even wished him fun right before he had left, even though there had been another expression on his face as well that the blonde hadn’t quite been able to read, but… at least Harry wasn’t mad at him, at least they had… talked it out, kind of, and hopefully, things would be getting easier from now on. 

Although, Niall was pretty damn sure that he wouldn’t escape all the teasing and that eventually his best friend would bring up the fact that he had literally been calling Liam Niall’s sugar daddy from the beginning, but… that could wait, right now the blonde had other problems to think about.

He had no idea when Liam would come home, he hadn’t even texted the brunette to ask whether it was alright that he was here, but the older man had made it very clear from the start that this was what he wanted Niall to do. Also… Niall did feel slightly guilty, for having spilled that secret to Louis and even though that wasn’t the only reason why he was here, it played a tiny role as well.

Since there was nothing to do really and after Niall had decided he would _not_ attempt to make Liam food for when he came home because he sucked at cooking and the brunette barely even had anything in his fridge, the blonde instead looked around the living room for a while after having put his backpack into the spare room and changed into his sweatpants and a different shirt. Well, and yeah, he did put on some cologne because… why wouldn’t he?

When admiring the view got kinda boring, Niall settled down on Liam’s massive couch, only thinking about it for a second before he grabbed the remote for the TV. There was nothing else to do and at least watching a movie would somewhat help to calm his nerves, at least a little tiny bit. Not that he was too nervous or something, but he still hadn’t seen Liam since Saturday and he also had no idea what to expect, so naturally, Niall was kinda too lost in thoughts to really concentrate on anything that was on the telly.

Niall even texted Harry for a little bit until the younger boy asked a few too detailed questions about what sex with Liam was like and the blonde decided it was time to put his phone away. Which was a really good decision because almost a second later, he heard keys in the door lock and his heart skipped a few beats as he struggled to try and pretend like he was just lying here all comfortably, as if he was doing it every single day.

It took a few seconds, for Liam to realize why the lights were turned on, why the TV was on even if it was very quiet and probably also why somebody else’s shoes were by the door. Still, it didn’t take him half as long as the blonde would have thought. “… Niall?”

“Oh, hey. You’re really late.” Was all Niall could think of, trying to sound really cool and calm as he sat up more straight to be able to look over the back of the couch to where the door was, his mouth feeling a little bit dry when he saw Liam, all dressed up in a suit, his face kind of tired but there was an unmistakable smile on his face.

“If you had told me you were here I would have come sooner.” He laughed briefly as he took his shoes off, dropping his bag somewhere on the floor before coming over to the couch, running a hand through his hair and somehow making it look even better, if that was even possible. “So… you finally told Harry, huh?”

“Umm… yeah, I… I didn’t have much of a choice.” Swallowing a bit as Liam popped two buttons of his shirt open before half falling onto the couch next to the blonde, Niall had to nervously lick his lips as he kept staring at the brunette’s profile, seeing how tired and exhausted he was now that they were so close. “Sorry again for… for the thing with Louis, he-“

“Hey, it’s fine, Niall, don’t worry. I would have told him anyways, it’s not like I was trying to keep it a secret, it just hasn’t come up yet, that’s all.” He sounded very serious, his smile growing wider as he turned his head to look at the blonde, immediately causing him to blush the tiniest bit. “How’d Harry react?”

After having taken a huge breath, Niall decided to just tell the brunette man the whole entire story from the beginning, also making sure to tell him that he had made up some random dude he had slept with and it made Liam laugh a lot more than Niall would have thought. Actually, he seemed to find the whole thing very amusing in general, especially the part where Louis had tried to make Niall ask Liam about throwing a party in here because the blonde had simply decided that if he was going to tell Liam, he was just going to tell him _everything_.

“Well… that sounds like you had a really exciting day.” Liam was still chuckling when Niall had finished, maybe having gotten a bit too much into it, but as soon as he had seen Liam laughing, he just hadn’t been able to stop himself from rambling on. “I mean… I know that Louis kinda forced you to tell Harry, but I think it’s a good thing, that you told him. You couldn’t have kept it a secret forever.”

“Yeah, I… I guess so… it was just a bit… embarrassing.” Shrugging, Niall was still stuck on the way Liam had said _forever_ because he was aware that they surely wouldn’t be doing this right here forever, but… it was a comforting thought, somehow. “How was your day?”

“Long and boring and… I actually don’t wanna talk about it.” Almost immediately after Niall had asked, Liam had gotten more serious, leaning his head back against the couch as he briefly closed his eyes and the blonde wanted to take it back but he couldn’t obviously so he just stayed quiet, thinking about reaching out for Liam’s hand for a moment but then deciding not to. “How long have you been here?”

“Umm…. 40 minutes or something. I’ve just been watching TV and stuff, I… I thought that maybe you are hungry and I would have made you something, but… I suck at cooking and your fridge is kinda empty so… “ No idea why Niall felt like he needed to let Liam know that there was nothing there for him to eat when no one had even asked him to make anything, but… it just kinda came out.

When Liam didn’t answer immediately, Niall almost thought he had said something wrong, that he hadn’t been supposed to… look in the fridge or something, but that thought quickly vanished when Liam suddenly leaned over, cupping Niall’s cheeks as he pressed a very unexpected kiss to the younger’s lips that left him shook. “You’re cute.”

And right after it was out, Liam was kissing him again and whatever it had been that Niall had been thinking about, it simply turned into dust as he parted his lips with a sigh, Liam’s tongue slipping into his mouth almost feeling like a huge relief, as if there had been a knot in his stomach that he hadn’t noticed by now and that was immediately loosening the second they had started kissing. 

Niall didn’t actually know how it happened, but it must have been in the heat of the moment, them getting to the heated snogging way more quickly than expected and Liam’s kisses being a lot more desperate than the blonde would have thought, his hand gripping the blonde’s face before suddenly moving down way lower and before Niall even knew it, Liam had made sure to pull him over to straddle his lap without breaking the kiss for a single second.

This was much better, the position making it really easy for the blonde to curl his fingers into the hair in the back of Liam’s neck while the older’s hands were firmly settled on Niall’s hips, kneading into the flesh while they were making out, mouths opening wide and it was so messy and dirty that Niall barely even needed any friction to feel himself getting hard. 

Liam tasted so good that Niall could have easily become addicted, and maybe he was just a little bit, because he had definitely been thinking about kissing this man way too many times since Saturday night. It wasn’t Niall’s fault though, that Liam was such a bloody amazing kisser, was it? Or that his lips were so soft and plush and that the burn his beard left against Niall’s skin still turned him on whenever they had already pulled apart.

The older man was snogging Niall with a very clear purpose, his hands moving underneath Niall’s shirt after only a few minutes, causing the blonde’s body to arch more into Liam’s underneath the strokes of his palms on his heated skin. They pulled apart for maybe a second or two, just for Niall to pull his shirt over his head before going straight back to pressing his mouth on top of Liam’s, blindly trying to open the older’s shirt buttons in between them while Liam’s hands were now busy cupping Niall’s arse. God, how had Niall even managed to stay away for almost three whole days?

Niall was so hard after only a few minutes that he would have been embarrassed had he not felt Liam’s erection pressing against his own, with only a few layers in between, and right when Liam’s hands were about to slip into the back of Niall’s sweatpants, the blonde had to pull away just slightly, not really knowing what was coming over him as he spoke up.

“Liam… I wanna… suck you off.” Honestly, Niall had been thinking about it way too many times by now and he could actually feel excitement building up in his stomach at the thought of it, the image he suddenly had in his head once more going straight to his dick.

Liam didn’t answer right away, he just kissed Niall one more time, panting against his lips before very slowly leaning his head back a bit further, so they could look at each other, foreheads knocking together. “If you… really want to.”

“I do… “ Niall whispered, almost feeling giddy with excitement now but he tried to hold back, tried to not make it weird or… as if he was practically dying to have Liam’s dick in his mouth. 

Kissing the older man again, Niall finally managed to pop open the last button of Liam’s shirt, freely running his hands over his toned chest and through the hair as the brunette slipped his tongue back into the younger’s mouth, kissing him more slowly now, not so desperately anymore, as if the first edge had been taken off.

Had Niall not been so lost in the kiss, the way Liam’s mouth felt against his and his tongue, he might have been nervous about doing something wrong, about it being too soon when he pulled away after a while to climb off of the older man, only briefly looking into Liam’s eyes before settling on his knees in front of the couch, in between the older man’s legs. Fuck, Niall could feel himself getting all flushed from excitement, he hadn’t ever been that much in giving blowjobs, but with Liam… it’s like he had been wanting this for years or something.

“Are you sure?” Liam asked one more time, a little bit out of breath, one hand in Niall’s hair and the blonde barely even nodded before starting to undo Liam’s pants, his hands almost shaking in anticipation. Maybe he was crazy for wanting this so badly, for wanting Liam’s thick cock to stretch his mouth and make him gag but in all honesty… did it really matter at this point?

Niall didn’t look up just once, on purpose, because he didn’t want to get distracted by Liam’s eyes, it was hard enough that he could feel the older man staring at him as he undid the button and zipper of his pants, feeling the hard outline of his dick underneath. He was half hard when Niall pulled the older man’s erection free, feeling the air get stuck in his throat for a moment, hearing Liam suck in a short breath that the blonde had probably not been supposed to hear.

There was no way Niall was going to wait, or think about what he was doing because he knew how to suck someone’s dick and just because it was Liam didn’t mean he needed to do it any differently. So before Niall could get scared or worried, he just went right for it, wrapping a hand around the base of Liam’s thick and hot erection as he licked over the top, the older’s fingers almost unnoticeably grabbing a tighter hold of his hair. 

He tasted salty and sweaty and manly and Niall could feel himself getting harder from how much he liked it, pride swelling in his chest as he heard Liam letting out a low groan as he fully enveloped the thick head into his mouth while his fist was slowly jerking the older man off, just so he didn’t have to take everything at once.

Liam was probably a lot bigger than anyone Niall had ever been with so he tried to go slow even though he felt like he was way too eager and that he was probably going to embarrass himself by choking himself pretty badly even though that was exactly what he actually wanted. Instead though, Niall kept on suckling on the head for a while, tongue tracing the veins while his hand was slowly jerking Liam off, building a somewhat even rhythm, making sure to pull Liam’s foreskin back to nibble at the sensitive skin because he knew just how much it got him going himself.

At first, Liam wasn’t really making all that much noise and Niall would have gotten worried, had he not felt just how tightly Liam’s fingers were curled into his hair and when he let out his first moan, Niall could feel it in his bones. It was such a huge satisfaction, to know that he was making Liam feel good, to be on his knees for him and have his cock in his mouth.

The precum oozing from Liam’s slit tasted bitter but Niall didn’t care, he was aware that it had all gotten rather messy very quickly, both from his own saliva but also from how wet Liam had immediately gotten and to be quite honest, there was nothing the blonde could have wanted more than this. Though the TV was still on somewhere in the background, all Niall could hear were the obscene, wet noises his own mouth was making and the now more frequent moans falling over Liam’s lips.

Niall’s knees would have probably been hurting had he had time to think about it, but he was way too busy trying to finally get Liam’s now rock hard erection deeper into his mouth, keeping a hand wrapped around the base for now, just in case. He was way bigger than Niall had thought, hitting the back of his throat in no time, almost immediately causing him to gag just slightly before he tried to relax his throat, keeping Liam like this for a moment, even though there were tears burning in his eyes.

“Fuck, Niall… “ The older man grunted, not pushing Niall’s head down even though a few times the blonde thought he was about to, but no, Liam was keeping rather still, his free hand suddenly cupping the younger’s cheek, thumb shakily rubbing over his skin when the younger boy pulled back a little bit so it wouldn’t get too much. He couldn’t believe though, what this did to him, how fucking hard he was from sucking Liam off, from having his thick cock gagging him and at the same time hearing how much the brunette was enjoying himself. “You… you good?”

Not answering, the blonde only briefly nodded as he pulled off for just a moment, looking up at Liam for about half a second before he was back to sucking on his cock, his throat now burning and the tears in his eyes about to drop over, but it wasn’t a bad feeling at all, Niall almost felt blissful, almost never wanted this to stop. And obviously, he wasn’t being very subtle about it.

“Fuck… you’re liking this so much, huh?” Liam was right, Niall did enjoy this way, _way_ too much, he was so turned on from sucking Liam off that he had thought about getting his free hand around himself, get a little bit of relief because every damn movement that caused his erection to rub against his boxer briefs was like torture. “You like chocking on my dick, don’t you? _Fuck_ , if you could see yourself, Niall… “

Liam’s thumb was barely touching Niall’s swollen bottom lip and it just so happened that Niall half took it into his mouth as well, for only a moment, but it still caused goosebumps to rise up all over his skin to hear Liam letting out a sigh, a very satisfied one, as if he was very happy with what Niall was doing. Fuck, this was so damn hot, just do whatever Liam wanted him to do, even if it meant he had to gag and cry as a result.

“You can… you can fuck my face, y’know… “ The words just kinda fell out of Niall’s mouth as he pulled off of Liam with a pop, only for a moment, not even enough to look up at the older man because he was way too eager to get his dick back into his throat, again taking him way deeper than he probably should have, waiting for the older man to do something, to do what Niall so desperately wanted him to.

Obviously, Liam did not just start thrusting down Niall’s throat, he let the younger boy adjust a bit, even though his breathing was getting really quick and panicky, and when Niall had kinda managed to relax a little bit, Liam only very gently used the hand buried in Niall’s hair to press him down further and Niall actually thought he would choke from lack of air. 

They did it like this for a while, Liam taking the control and Niall simply focusing on not dying and on breathing, not being able to help it anymore but to push a hand down his sweatpants and boxer shorts, wanking himself off to the sound of Liam’s moans and his own wet mouth gliding along the older’s erection.

“ _Shit_ , Niall… you’re doing so good, fuck… taking all of it, aren’t you? Such a good boy… _fuck, baby_ …” _This_ was what Niall had wanted, from the first time they had been fooling around in the bathroom at the golf center, which seemed like fucking ages ago and Niall couldn’t actually believe that this was happening, that he was on his knees in Liam’s apartment on a Tuesday night, letting him fuck his throat while he himself was on the verge of crying, the older man praising him.

It was obvious when Liam was close because he was suddenly even louder than before, now not so gentle anymore in guiding Niall up and down his dick but it was fine, this was what Niall had wanted and he could have easily stopped Liam had he wanted to, but… he really didn’t.

Heat was coiling in his stomach as the hand he had wrapped around his dick started to pull him off faster without Niall even noticing, the sounds of pleasure falling out of Liam’s mouth pushing Niall closer to the edge as well. Right when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, that his throat was burning too much and his mouth was stretched too far around the older’s erection, Liam suddenly came right down his throat with a groan, fingers pulling so tightly on Niall’s hair that it hurt.

There were so many emotions mixed with Niall’s own orgasm as he came into his boxer shorts that it felt like he had blacked out for a moment, swallowing every last drop of Liam’s cum, the older man’s erection twitching and pulsing in his mouth as he kept coming, moaning Niall’s name. Fuck, what more could Niall have bloody wanted at this point?!

Niall had no idea how long his orgasm lasted, all he knew was that when he slowly sat back, he could suddenly feel how wet his cheeks already were, fresh tears dropping over, both his hands feeling sticky, his throat burning and his mouth tasting kinda weird but in a good way as he let Liam’s softening cock fall out, trying to catch his breath in the subtlest way possible.

Well… that had definitely been worth having a small fight with Harry and being forced to tell him everything.

“Niall… you okay?” Liam’s voice sounded a bit numbed for some reason, as if he was further away than he actually was, he was also panting and Niall didn’t know how but he managed to nod, struggling to keep his eyes open at this point as he simply focused on catching his breath, trying not to cough or do something equally as stupid. It had been so fucking good and he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way so he really did not want to give off the impression as if Liam had hurt him in whatever way, it just seemed absolutely impossible to talk right now. Or stop those tears, or move, or… breathe properly. 

Niall had no idea how much time passed by of him just sitting there on the floor trying to normalize his breathing or when exactly Liam had zipped his pants back up and gotten off of the couch. What he did know though was that the older man helped him standing up and, when Niall seemed to be moving too slowly for Liam’s liking, the brunette simply picked him up, as if the blonde didn’t even way a single kilogram and had Niall not been so damn exhausted, he might have been embarrassed.

Instead, he pressed his eyes closed as he buried his face against Liam’s shoulder, again having to suppress a cough. It was gradually getting better though and by the time Liam lowered Niall onto his own bed, the blonde almost felt like he could have maybe even spoken again. 

“Don’t.” Liam immediately cut him off the second that Niall had opened his mouth, his facial expression was extremely worried and the blonde wanted to tell him that it was fine, that he’d be alright in like, 15 minutes or so, but the brunette simply shut him up with a kiss on the forehead. “Stay there and don’t talk, alright? I’ll get you something to clean up, you can stay here tonight, I don’t want you to like… choke to death over in the guest room or something.” 

Had Niall had the strength, he would have probably laughed or at least felt embarrassed or… any emotion besides the tiredness that was suddenly washing over him as Liam had left to go to the bathroom. It wasn’t only the fact that he had just been sucking the older man off and had not only almost choked on his cock and then felt like he had had to pass out as he had reached his orgasm, it was also the fact that it was Tuesday and the blonde had already gotten up early twice this week and… honestly, he had no idea how he’d even get to classes in time tomorrow.

Liam returned with a bunch of tissues and by then Niall had managed to sit up, which was of course commented by a glare from the brunette as he sat down on the edge of the bed, but when Niall managed a smile at him, he seemed to quickly lighten up. Niall actually hated the fact that Liam was probably thinking that he couldn’t take sucking him off or something because he was behaving as if he had just been in an accident or so, it’s just… maybe the blonde had overestimated himself a little tiny bit.

There was no point really in attempting to clean up his boxer shorts, so after wiping his hands, Niall simply decided that he didn’t care anymore to be undressing in front of Liam, only putting his sweatpants back on when the brunette told him to just leave his dirty underwear on the floor. “Do you wanna shower?”

“No, I… ‘m good.” Talking quietly worked quite well so Niall stuck to that, only slightly disappointed when Liam got up from the mattress, a smirk on his face as he ruffled the blonde’s hair.

“Alright. I’ll quickly take one, yeah? I’ll be right back, you can… watch TV or something, if you want.” The TV in Liam’s room was massive and even though Niall didn’t really feel like watching anything at all right now, he simply nodded, trying to be subtle about watching Liam going to his bathroom, leaving the door wide open of course, already starting to undress while still in the bedroom.

Though Niall did have his phone with him, he didn’t really bother anymore checking any messages from Harry that might have been on there. Instead, he simply put the phone on the nightstand before briefly thinking about whether it was a good idea to sleep in Liam’s bed. Then again, he was kinda way too tired to walk over to the guest room and besides, the brunette seemed to want him to stay, so why would Niall say no, right?

Liam wasn’t gone for very long, when he was done showering he again returned in just a very loosely wrapped towel like the first time, only now, Niall wasn’t actually afraid anymore to stare at him simply putting on some sweatpants, winking at the blonde once he was fully dressed, completely aware of how fucking attractive he was. 

“You can get under the blanket, you know. There are two, actually.” After walking around the room to turn off the lights except the one on his bedside table and closing the door, Liam came back to what Niall was pretty sure was his side of the bed, running a hand through his damp hair and the blonde almost forgot that he had been about to tuck himself in. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m… fine, I just… I haven’t uh… done this… in a while.” Which wasn’t exactly a lie, but Niall really did not want to elaborate any further so he pretended to be busy getting comfortable, only half lying down because otherwise he would have probably fallen asleep within half a second or something.

“No? Well, it didn’t feel like it though.” Was that… a compliment? “You gotta tell me though, if anything ever happens and you need to stop, okay? No matter if we’re in the middle of something or whatever, I don’t want you to hurt yourself or be uncomfortable.”

“No, I… I wanted to… “ A bit of an understatement, Niall could feel his cheeks turning red as he stared at his hands, hearing Liam laughing next to him as he got underneath his own blanket, moving the air and filling it with the smell of his shower gel. “Besides, I’m good, I’m just… tired because I had to get up really early the last two days, so… “

“Alright.” The chuckle Liam let out didn’t at all sound as if he believed Niall, but the blonde didn’t actually care. All he really cared about was that he had finally gotten to do what he had desperately wanted to do since weeks and also, once he got back to the dorms he wouldn’t have to be worried anymore about Harry finding out. He _really_ should have told the other boy sooner. 

They stayed quiet for a bit while Liam was texting on his phone and Niall actually let his eyes fall closed for a second or two before deciding that it had probably been a bad idea. So instead, he focused on the tattoos stretching across Liam’s arms while the other man was busy, the blanket only covering his legs so the blonde actually had quite the sight.

He had never really asked Liam what any of the tattoos stood for and Niall actually doubted that they all had a deep meaning or something, it seemed more like Liam just liked having them done. Not that they were ugly or anything, they actually looked pretty fucking hot in contrast to his rather tanned skin and the blonde was sure he could have kept on staring at them for hours. If he hadn’t gotten caught.

“You can get a closer look if you want.” Liam had dropped his phone onto his chest, smirking at the blonde when Niall woke from his half trance, blinking a few times as he cleared his throat, not knowing what to say. This was nothing to get embarrassed about though, was it? Niall had literally just been sucking Liam’s dick in the living room and now they were sharing a bed so whatever.

Without really asking, Niall moved closer towards Liam then, leaning onto his elbow to be able to get a better look on the tattoos. It took him a second or so, to be brave enough to curl his fingers around the older man’s wrist and turn his arm around, so he could get a look on the other side as well and Liam just let him, as if he liked the interest Niall showed. 

“Do you… how often do you get new tattoos?” That was an okay question to ask, right? They were just making casual conversation and Niall had been wanting to ask since the very first time he had noticed Liam’s tattoos, so finally he had a chance to. 

“Hmmm… not very often. I used to get a bunch at once, but… honestly, I think I’ve got enough by now and they don’t really mean anything. Not all of them at least.” Liam shrugged, Niall could feel his eyes resting on his face but he decided to simply ignore it, barely tracing one of Liam’s tattoos with his finger. 

“Do you regret any of them?” Maybe that was a rude question but Liam seemed amused anyways, maybe by how concerned Niall had sounded, it’s just… there was nothing more terrible that he could imagine than getting a tattoo and regretting it.

“I do, actually. But I guess I mostly had them covered up by something else, so they all kinda blend in now and I barely even notice anymore to be honest. Have you ever thought about getting one?” Now that Niall was done looking at one arm, he was kinda shy to lean even further towards Liam, only a little bit surprised when the older man simply moved his other arm closer to the blonde, as if he had been reading his thoughts.

“God, no. I… I’d have no idea what to get and also… ‘m pretty sure I couldn’t take the pain.” Actually, Harry had once suggested that they should get tattoos together, the younger boy did have a few, but he could easily cover them up with his clothes so Niall barely ever noticed anymore. 

“It’s not so bad, you know… I mean, I don’t really remember how much it hurt when I got my first one, but I suppose it couldn’t have been so bad if I went back. But I was only eighteen back then, so… that’s like ages in the past.” True, that was actually almost ten years in the past and Niall was once again reminded of their age difference, but he didn’t really mind it anymore. They didn’t seem so far apart when they talked, it was only because of the job Liam had that Niall always kinda thought the older man had so much more life experience than him, but then taking Louis for example… he might have as well been Niall’s age. 

“Did your parents, uh… what’d they say when they found out?” Niall couldn’t imagine Liam’s parents approving of tattoos, but then again, he didn’t really know them.

“Well, actually… that’s quite a funny story. They never really found out about the first one I’ve gotten, I kept it hidden really well and they only found out a year or so later when I already had a few more and… I mean, I could tell they were kinda pissed off but they’re not the kinda people to start yelling and make a scene, so… I’ve gotten away with a bit of scolding. I mean… I barely ever see my parents when we’re not somehow dressed for an event, so… “ Letting his hand drop from Liam’s arm, the blonde only barely looked up to check for the older’s facial expression, somehow really relieved when he seemed completely relaxed and calm.

“Did you, uh… did you always wanna, umm… work with your dad?” Maybe the question came out a bit awkward, but Niall had no idea how else to ask and he really wanted to use that weird boost of confidence he felt, both from having sucked Liam off and from being too tired to overthink.

“No, definitely not.” Liam answered without hesitation, meeting Niall’s eyes for a second, his expression having gotten a bit more serious all of a sudden. “I actually didn’t want to for a while after I had graduated, but… I realized that I would have been dumb not to, not because of the money but it’s just what I really wanted to do, you know? I mean… I’ve invented those apps, but… it wasn’t really that much of a challenge, so… I wouldn’t wanna do that for the rest of my life. Also the modeling is nice sometimes, but it gets boring too.”

“Is there… anything you haven’t done?” Niall kinda just blurted out with it, not knowing what else to say because he was definitely very impressed by how Liam seemed to be able to do absolutely anything, but he also had no idea how to react.

The older man simply laughed at that question, not really answering and instead reaching over to ruffle the blonde’s hair once more, sending goosebumps down his spine as he quickly stroked his cheeks afterwards, a simple but kind of affectionate gesture that made Niall wanna hide his face in the pillow. 

“Trust me, there are millions of people who would do a better job at what I’m doing, it’s not that big of a deal.” Yeah, well, only that he made a shit ton of money, but Niall had no idea what to say and also, Liam didn’t really leave him a chance to either. “Before I forget it, are you up for some golfing next weekend? I’d kinda feel bad if I let your boss down all of a sudden now that he was so happy that I’m lifting the image with where I park my car.”

And just like that, Liam had switched the topic, away from himself, and Niall just went with it, kinda relieved that the brunette didn’t want him to take more days off. Then again, it’s not like Liam was forcing him or anything, Niall was just really worried about where his priorities where at the moment. 

They talked like that in bed next to each other for probably more than an hour, just random things, but it was really nice, how Liam would randomly reach out for Niall and the blonde couldn’t actually remember when he fell asleep exactly, all he knew was that he had ended up more in the middle of the bed than on the side that was supposed to be his for tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everybody :)
> 
> so i noticed the next update will probably be on christmas haha! i hope youre all doing well and are excited for the holidays and hopefully dont have 10 essays due and 40 exams to study for until after the break like me haha :p 
> 
> anyways, hope you all liked the chapter, thank you so much for all feedback and the kudos on the previous one :D i realized that this fic is yet again turning out WAY too long haha but i think youre all still in for a surprise about where the plot is going ;)


	8. Chapter 8

Waking up was actually half as bad as Niall would have feared. 

He did remember waking up multiple times at night though, one time because he had to go to the bathroom and almost fell over his own feet because he had no bloody idea where the light switchers were. Another time though, he woke up simply because he wasn’t really used sleeping with somebody else in the same bed as him. Of course he had done it, but… not like this.

Also, Liam wasn’t really someone who seemed to keep to his side of the bed and apparently he also wasn’t someone who lied still while sleeping so Niall did find himself trapped by the older’s arm a time or five during the night. Although, trapped was probably the wrong word because he didn’t actually mind, Liam was warm and he smelled good and his breathing right into Niall’s ear was kind of calming.

When Niall woke up in the morning though, the other side of the bed was empty and messed up and the blonde half expected to find yet another note that the older man had had to leave, already trying to deal with the misplaced disappointment that wanted to settle in even though he had no idea why. About five seconds after Niall had sat up though and was about to reach for his phone to check the time, Liam simply walked right through the door.

“Hey, you’re up, I was about to wake you because I have no idea when your classes start, but… I made breakfast.” He seemed really happy and in the best mood ever, also, he was already dressed and all ready to go and Niall probably looked like a bird had tried building a nest in his hair during the night.

“I… how late is it?” Niall’s voice sounded rather rough, he tried to secretly clear his throat, internally praying that it was just because he had woken up and not because of last night. Because if it didn’t get better and Harry would notice then… no, thank you.

“Shortly after 7. When do you have to be at uni?” It was a huge relief, hearing how early it was, although Niall did kinda play with the thought of simply going back to sleep and ignoring the fact that he had a class, but then again… Liam would have to go to work anyways, so he’d just be lying here all by himself.

“Only at 9, so… “ But there was always traffic and the blonde had no idea if he was going to make it on time, but he also didn’t really care. “When, uh… when do you have to be at work?”

“Doesn’t matter. I can drive you, yeah?” It wasn’t really a question because he left Niall no time to answer and the blonde only had a few seconds to feel strangely happy about the offer when Liam was already continuing. “When you’re done you can just come and have some breakfast, okay? Also… if you wanna change your clothes, I’ve left everything I bought you on Saturday in the spare room where you put it. And… you can borrow some underwear, if you want.”

“Right, uh… thank you.” Niall’s cheeks were burning now but he tried to hide it, looking down as he briefly thought about how he had not really packed more clothes other than his sleep shirt and sweatpants, which kinda meant that… that he would have to actually wear some of those clothes Liam had bought him to uni. And his underwear.

The older man left with a wink and a smirk, leaving the younger boy to do whatever he wanted in privacy and Niall kinda appreciated that even if he was already embarrassed enough for a lifetime anyways. He took a few minutes before he made himself get up, purposely not checking his phone and simply walking over to the bathroom connected to the spare room, hearing Liam doing things in the kitchen in the meantime.

Niall would have of course collected the dirty boxer shorts from last night off of the floor, but somehow they were gone and honestly, the blonde didn’t even want to know where Liam had put them. It was a really quick shower and teeth brushing before Niall came out of the bathroom, only for a second surprised when he saw that Liam had already put clothes for him on the bed.

Niall’s own jeans that he had also been wearing last night and simply thrown over the chair last night, but along with that one of those jumpers Liam had bought him that didn’t actually look too expensive, but… they had been pretty damn expensive. Still, the blonde didn’t think twice before simply putting the clothes on that Liam had chosen for him, also the older man’s Calvin Klein’s because… it’s not like Niall had a choice or anything.

Having Liam picking his clothes would have maybe been slightly weird, but considering the fact that Niall had literally been ready to beg last night to be allowed to suck his cock, maybe it wasn’t so weird after all. At least that way, the blonde could be 100% certain that Liam liked those clothes on him, even if that shouldn’t have mattered, but somehow it did to Niall.

“How… how much did you make?” Niall couldn’t help but ask when he entered the kitchen area a few minutes later, his hair still a little bit damp as he dropped his backpack somewhere, feeling only a little bit intimated by the fact that Liam had suit pants on and a white button up, sleeves pushed up and his tattoos on full display.

“Well, I didn’t know what you like, so I just made whatever I had.” Honestly, Liam did not at all seem like the type to be able to cook and yet somehow he had managed to make at least 6 different things and Niall was more than just surprised. “What do you usually eat for breakfast?”

“Uh… nothing.” The blonde admitted as he sat on one of the bar stools, faintly remembering that Liam had asked him that question already on Saturday but he had kinda changed the topic back then, not really having given a clear answer. “I mean, I… sometimes I do, because Harry, he… works at this coffee shop slash bakery place, but… during the week I barely have any time.”

“Why not?” Liam sounded very concerned, he even turned around to throw Niall a look and the blonde immediately had to look down.

“Um… because I… I always get up way too late.” Also, Niall didn’t really wanna spend his money on breakfast, but he of course couldn’t tell Liam that because… well, after the brunette had transferred money onto his account, the blonde could have eaten breakfast every day for the rest of the semester without even thinking about it twice. “Or sometimes… I just forget, I mean… I’m not… the breakfast type anyways. But… thank you for all of this though, you really didn’t have to.” 

“I don’t want you going to classes and being hungry. Besides, it’s not healthy skipping breakfast.” It was kinda funny really, the way Liam said it, as if he was genuinely worried about Niall’s health or something and the blonde would have laughed it off, but instead his throat got kinda tight when he realized that Liam had probably gotten up early just to make all of this and be sure that there was at least one thing Niall liked so he wouldn’t have to leave being hungry. “You want tea?”

“Uh… yeah, thank you.” Niall hadn’t started yet, he waited for Liam to come sit with him, putting a cup in front of him. No idea whether this was going to become a regular thing for them or not for whenever the blonde slept over, but… Niall definitely felt kinda guilty now, for accepting Liam’s money and letting him do all of that on top of it. Why was he so damn nice and sweet?

“You can eat, you know, we somehow gotta get through all of that or I’ll have to throw it away.” Obviously that was a joke but Niall still felt kinda obliged to make sure to eat a lot now, simply because Liam had put so much time into making that food. “What kinda class do you have first today?”

“Umm… it’s actually a lecture, but… it’s biology. I mean, actually it’s the second part of what I did last semester, but… yeah, it’s not really… my thing.” The only good thing about this lecture was that Niall had it with Harry, but today he really would have not minded had his best friend skipped. 

“But you’re getting good grades though, right? You said that a while back.” True, they had already talked about uni a lot because the brunette always seemed so damn interested but Niall was kinda surprised that he remembered any of it.

“I mean… I guess I do.” Not to brag or anything, so the blonde just shrugged, hearing Liam chuckle a bit next to him because he was obviously reading him like an open book yet again. “Not that… not that they’ll help me a lot… “

“Why not? It’s a good university, even though I know you think differently, but… it’s true. And besides, good grades can always help you, Niall.” He was probably right, but then again, he had also graduated from Oxford and was a millionaire so… it was easy for him to stay positive, right? “I mean, no matter what uni you go to or what grades you get, you could always end up getting a shitty job you hate even if you were always doing well.”

“That’s… very unsettling advice for seven in the morning… “ Niall half mumbled into his tea, regretting it for a moment before he heard Liam letting out a laugh. 

“Sorry, I was actually trying to be positive. How’s the food?” Liam luckily switched the topic, sounding very hopeful as he asked so Niall made sure to swallow quickly, even though he kinda burned his throat pretty badly as a result.

“It’s great, thank you. I… I didn’t really think that… that you were into cooking.” That wasn’t rude, right? Liam seemed like a busy kinda guy, so…

“I’m actually not. I mean, I don’t mind cooking, but I barely ever do it.” So he really had just done it for Niall, that was even worse and the blonde had to yet again drink some tea in an attempt to hide his blushed cheeks. 

“Me neither… I mean, me and Harry don’t even have a kitchen, so there’s that.” Niall would have still attempted to cook for Liam though, so he’d have something to eat after work and maybe he would actually try that next time, seeing as the brunette had also made him breakfast and everything, it only seemed fair. “Not that… not that a kitchen would have any space… “

“How small is your dorm? You’re sharing it, right? I mean, the same room?” He didn’t sound like he was making fun of Niall or anything, just as if he really wanted to know for some reason so the blonde didn’t feel too stupid answering after swallowing. 

“Umm… it’s probably as big as… your bedroom? Our beds are only like… one and a half meters apart or something.” Liam pulled his eyebrows up at that and Niall suddenly genuinely questioned whether the older boy had ever even seen a dorm, like… he had probably already had his own apartment when he had still been going to uni or something. “But that’s good because… it means that… that Harry can’t bring anyone home.”

“And you?” The brunette almost asked out of the blue, but his stare at Niall was kinda intense and the blonde couldn’t help but feel a little bit awkward talking about this with Liam.

“Well, I… obviously I don’t bring anyone home either, but I… I haven’t really, uh… been with… too many people… lately, I mean… “ Also in general, but that didn’t mean Niall was inexperienced which hopefully Liam wasn’t thinking about him. “Harry’s like… he doesn’t mind, you know? And he… if he likes someone or thinks they’re good looking, he just… he goes for it. Which is probably why… why he and Louis already exchanged numbers yesterday.”

“Right, I’ve almost forgotten about that… not that I’m surprised, they kinda sound the same.” Liam seemed to be very amused by that whole conversation for some reason, much to Niall’s embarrassment, but at least they weren’t talking about him anymore. 

“They even… talked about reading the same books, it… it was quite intense.” Of course Niall had already told Liam about that yesterday, but not everything in detail because he had been more focused on making sure the brunette knew he had had no choice but to tell Harry the whole story in front of Louis. “Imagine if… if they’d like… have a thing? Like… how weird would that be?”

“Hmmm… yeah, that’d be a little bit weird, I agree.” Liam sounded a whole lot more amused than worried though, he was watching Niall eat a little bit too intensely the whole time, as if he wanted to make sure that the blonde was really eating enough or something. “But… it’d also be kinda funny, wouldn’t it? And then we could all hang out and I’d get to meet Harry.”

“You… you wanna meet him?” Niall almost forgot to swallow, it had kinda sounded like a joke, at least the hanging out part, but looking over at Liam who simply shrugged, he seemed to have been at least somewhat serious. “I mean, uh… you can if… if you want, I… “

“Well, if he wants to meet me as well.” Harry would have probably killed Niall if he hadn’t allowed him to meet Liam at some point, it just reminded the blonde of how desperate the younger boy had been to find Liam on social media and… it’d probably be an embarrassment from beginning to end, but it’s not like the blonde could have really said no? He kinda wanted them to meet even though he had no idea why and even though it’s not like he and Liam were in a serious relationship, they were simply… sleeping together. Well, and Liam made him breakfast, but… that was beside the point. 

“I’m sure that… that he’d love nothing more, uh… “ Picking a bit at the piece of toast he had lying on his plate, Niall silently contemplated whether he should keep talking, but then he decided that if Harry and Liam did meet, there was no way that Harry was ever going to keep his mouth shut anyways. “You know, uh… when… when I first told him about you, like… when we first met and… and you kissed me and stuff, umm… he was like… really obsessed with finding you online and… it was really crazy. And before when… you know your dad, he gave me quite a bit of tip? And Harry tried googling him as well and stuff, so… if he knows a bit more about you and your family than you think, then… that’s why.”

Much like expected, the older man had to laugh quite a bit at that and Niall didn’t blush just as much as he would have thought, but he still felt a little bit embarrassed. If Liam only knew just how much he and Harry had talked about him ever since they had met, but he probably had a pretty good idea anyways. 

“I think I can handle that. Unless you don’t want us to meet, that’s fine, you know, I’d understand.” He sounded very serious and concerned, as if he thought Niall was the kinda guy who wanted to keep his private and sex life separated, as if he wasn’t the same guy who had hooked up with a customer on the bloody golf course in the bathroom.

“No, that’s… that’s fine. I mean… he already knows Louis as well and is probably texting him right now, so… “ Niall didn’t even want to know how long Harry and Louis had possibly been texting last night after he had left, not that it was any of his business. He had felt slightly bad for simply leaving his best friend behind like that, but he had been a whole lot more excited about seeing Liam again and making sure that the older man wasn’t mad at him. “Maybe… maybe he can come by, uh… next weekend, after we’re done golfing or something… “

“Sure. But I was kinda planning on taking you home after that.” Right, now Niall was seriously starting to blush, almost forgetting how to swallow and look away from Liam after seeing that smirk on his face, and the bloody wink. 

“Yeah, uh... that’s fine, umm… he can just… say hello or something.” Or maybe not, that depended on what was going to happen today once they saw each other again and how many times Harry was going to tease Niall until next weekend. Not that he didn’t deserve, but… he didn’t have to purposely make it worse for himself, right?

“Okay, whatever you want.” And then, as if it was something they did every day, Liam momentarily placed his hand on top of Niall’s, thumb shortly rubbing over the back before he suddenly got up, his mood somehow even better than it had been all morning. “You want some more tea? Or maybe something else? I’ve got orange juice as well, I think.”

“No, umm… that’s fine, thanks though.” Trying not to watch Liam too obviously as he moved around the kitchen to get himself something more to drink, Niall made sure to eat a bit more, even though he wasn’t really all that hungry because he wasn’t used to eating a lot of breakfast, but Liam had really tried hard and… he seemed to think breakfast was important so Niall was going to do him the favor.

They had a bit more time to chat about stuff before Liam suggested they should probably get going if Niall wanted to be on time. Honestly, the blonde would have seriously questioned whether he wanted to be on time or not had he not known that Liam was probably going to work later than he should have just so he could drive him to uni. 

Obviously, there was going to be a lot of traffic but once they had gotten into the car, or _one_ of Liam’s cars, Niall quickly decided that coming late and having to walk into class when it had already started was way worth it if that meant he got to spend some more time with Liam.

 

\-----------

 

“What’s happened to your voice?” Was literally the very first thing that Harry wanted to know as Niall had slipped into the seat next to him, in the very last row of the lecture hall, just where they always sat. “And who’s jumper is that?”

“Nothing, uh… what’s wrong with my voice? And it’s mine, I… it’s an old one.” Of course Niall had known that his voice hadn’t quite gone back to normal yet, his throat was still a little bit sore and each time he talked it reminded him of last night, which was really hot on one side, but also… it was kinda inconvenient right now, with Harry being present and all. Also luckily the jumper didn’t have like, a logo for the label on it anywhere, it was just plain black, so hopefully Harry would just let it drop.

“Sounds like… you’ve gotten a bit freaky last night, huh?” Of course Harry was looking straight through Niall, laughing quite noisily while the older boy tried to ignore his heated cheeks as he started unpacking his stuff, his lips still tingling from before in the car when Liam had kissed him quite deeply only minutes ago. A whole ton of people had seen Niall getting out of the brunette’s car, he was pretty damn sure about that but also… he couldn’t really have bothered anymore. Now that Harry knew… it basically didn’t matter anymore who else knew. 

“I… don’t think you really wanna know about last night.” Niall tried to sound cool, as if he didn’t care, as if he was proud of it, which he was, but… maybe not in front of his best friend. 

“True, maybe I don’t. But was it worth it though?” Luckily, Harry didn’t seem to have any hard feelings at all, he even lightly bumped his shoulder into Niall’s and the blonde felt relief but at the same time, he kinda also wished that his professor would come walking through the door and end this conversation immediately. 

“Yeah… it was.” Niall finally settled on that after the tiniest bit of hesitation, writing the name of the lecture and the date down just to have something to do, almost having to physically stop himself from licking his lips, still tasting Liam in his mouth. “What, uh… what did you do last night?”

“Nothing really, just got some homework done and… oh, right, I texted Louis.” Just what Niall had thought, it didn’t even sound like Harry was bragging or anything, more as if he had seriously almost forgotten to mention it. “Honestly, it doesn’t even seem like he’s that much older, you know? Also, I think it’s really damn funny that he works for Liam.” 

“Did you, uh… talk about that?” What if Harry now knew all kinda secrets about Liam that Niall didn’t know? Like, Louis was Liam’s best friend, surely he knew a ton of things about the brunette that Liam would probably not even think of telling Niall and the blonde didn’t really know why, but it kinda got him really jealous.

“A bit. But we actually talked more about random stuff, he’s real funny, I can’t believe you almost wouldn’t have introduced us if you hadn’t run into him.” Now Harry was back to sounding a little bit judgmental, but it seemed more like a joke anyways. “So when am I meeting Liam?”

“Ummm… do you… do you want to? Meet him, I mean?” Of course he did, but Niall didn’t really feel like already agreeing on a date or something, like… yeah, they both wanted to meet each other, but what if it would get really embarrassing? And what if Harry told Liam all kinds of things about the blonde? They weren’t dating or anything, Liam and him were… friends, at most. 

“What kinda question is that? Of course I wanna meet him, I’ve been wanting to meet him ever since you first told me about him. Hell, he’s not only a millionaire, he’s also a freaking model and he does interviews and shit and you’re my best friend and you’re sleeping with him, so… hell, yeah I wanna meet him.” Great, now Niall really had no way out, Harry almost sounded pumped about the possibility, which was so much better than the blonde could have ever hoped for before he had told his best friend about this whole thing and yet…

“You, uh… “ Niall started, desperately looking up for the professor to walk through the door, but somehow he didn’t, as if he wanted to force the blonde to just say it. Damn it. “Liam’s, uh… he’s… he’s coming to the golf course next weekend, so… if you wanna… if you wanna meet him then… you can come by once we’re done, if you… want to… “

“Honestly? Yeah, I do, I’m sure me and Liam are gonna be best buddies in no time.” Harry’s grin was a little bit worrying, but Niall tried to do it off as excitement or something, forcing himself to a smile when he saw his best friend’s face. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell any embarrassing stories about you or something. But hey, he’s seen you in those ugly ass working clothes and still wanted to fuck you, so I don’t think anybody could say anything that would make him not wanna sleep with you anymore.”

“That’s… very comforting, Haz, thank you so much.” Rolling his eyes, Niall was finally rescued by their professor walking in and starting the lecture, even though of course that didn’t keep Harry from still half whispering into Niall’s ear.

“Do you think that Louis would come too? On the weekend I mean?” And from there on, the blonde had no doubt anymore that all of this was going to be a lot more complicated than he had first anticipated. But at least he had told Harry, right? At least his best friend finally knew and at least he wasn’t angry with the blonde, so that’s all that Niall was going to try to focus on for now. 

And a little bit also on the fact that he was going to die if he didn’t get to see Liam again anytime soon.

 

\-------------

 

“Y’know… somehow you… you’ve become worse than… than compared to when we first played?” Niall would have felt bad about saying that, or too shy maybe, but he had been in the best mood ever since Liam had shown up at the golf center and even though they hadn’t been able to kiss or to even hug, they had had the chance to a few minutes later out on the golf course. Which was much needed because they hadn’t seen each other since Thursday, when Niall had thought he was going to go crazy if he had to wait until Saturday and had simply left at 8 pm to go sleep at Liam’s for the third time. 

“You can’t say that to me, Niall, I’m the most valuable customer you have.” He was joking but it was still true and Niall’s boss had actually been over the moon about Liam coming back, even more so because apparently Liam had called in booking Niall and saying that the only reason why he still wanted to come was because the blonde was such an exceptional teacher. Honestly, if anybody at work ever figured out what was going on between them, it was because of Liam saying shit like that to Niall’s boss.

“But you already signed the membership, you gotta pay for it anyways.” No idea where Niall’s boost of confidence came from, all he knew was that it caused Liam to freeze for a moment before he started to laugh, pulling the blonde in closer by his waist even though anybody could have driven or walked past them.

“Oh, yeah? What if I’m gonna cancel it because you refuse to teach me anything?” Before the blonde could even think about answering, Liam was suddenly kissing him, all out in the open, not too deep or too long but enough to leave the blonde breathless when they pulled apart, a smirk on the brunette’s face. “Speechless, huh?”

“I… I’m not, I just… I mean you… we didn’t play for… a while and anyways… I know you weren’t really trying.” Not that Niall had thought he would, he knew Liam had just come so Niall didn’t have to take another day off and the blonde did feel bad about that, however… Liam was paying him anyways, no matter if Niall told him not to, so… where was the difference?

“You caught me. But hey, it’s really a lot to remember, you know? And you never really showed me how to properly stand because you never really wanted to touch me before, so… “ Shrugging as if he didn’t care, Liam took matters into his own hand as he placed another ball in front of himself and Niall would have rolled his eyes at him had he not felt so breathless. 

This time, the brunette’s shot was even worse than the one before, if that was any possible, but Niall could tell that it was because he had made sure to position himself in the worst way possible, only to force the blonde to come and correct his stand. Honestly, it would have gotten Niall a bit annoyed had this not been Liam, had their whole time together here not solely consisted of banter and kisses anyways. 

Liam seemed to be really proud when Niall stepped behind him without saying a word, not at all embarrassed to touch Liam anymore now because… hell, he had been naked with him, he had blown him and Liam had been eating him out, touching his clothed body was the very last thing Niall was worried about it. 

“See? If you would have shown me that from the beginning… “ The brunette trailed off after having hit the golf ball in a not so terrible way and for a moment Niall questioned whether Liam really was that horrible at golf, like, obviously he hadn’t and still didn’t know how to play properly, but what if he had made sure to make himself look worse than he had ever been? Just to… get closer to the blonde? But that was a quite ridiculous thought, wasn’t it? “So, is Harry still coming after this?”

“Ummm… yeah, I think so. I mean, he said he’d come before I left for work, so… I don’t think he’s… gonna miss out on meeting you.” Rolling his eyes a bit as Liam chuckled, Niall really regretted having agreed to letting his best friend meet Liam, but they’d meet at some point, so… better just get it over with now. “I… I’m pretty sure he told Louis about it, too.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me. You know they’ve been texting every day?” Liam didn’t sound bothered by it at all, he was busy hitting golf balls into nowhere and Niall just watched, somehow surprised by the older’s words, somehow not at all. “They’re really hitting it off, Louis came into my office yesterday and he talked about Harry for fifteen minutes straight.” 

“Did he… did he really?” This was so strange, but it’s not like the younger boy didn’t know how well their best friends got along and though he was relieved that harry wasn’t questioning him about Liam anymore 24/7, he also wasn’t so keen on discussing Louis. “Don’t tell Harry that please… he’s talking enough about Louis as it is… “

“Cute.” Was all Liam said, though he had obviously just said it to make Niall roll his eyes, laughing at him once he had done exactly that. “Why are you so bothered by them getting along?”

“I’m not bothered by it, I just… you know if… if they hook up or something, or… it’ll just… be weird because… because of you and me.” And also, it’d be extra weird if Harry and Louis started talking about them and then things would possibly surface that Niall would have rather kept a secret or the other way around and… all in all, it just added more stress to the situation. 

“Are you jealous?” Liam bluntly asked, as if that was the most obvious question to ask and Niall’s mouth dropped for a second before he realized that the older man was grinning, probably just joking around.

“Why would I be jealous?” Well, he was slightly jealous that Harry was so good at getting with people he liked or found attractive and that Niall hadn’t even been able to properly talk to Liam in the beginning, but… obviously, he wasn’t gonna say that now. Also because of course he and Liam weren’t dating or in love, so… 

“I don’t know, maybe you saw Louis a week ago and thought, fuck, I’ve made that arrangement with the wrong guy.” Was… Liam implying that Niall found Louis more attractive than him? Or did he just want to hear him say that that wasn’t true? Yeah, judging by Liam’s face, it was definitely the second. 

Normally Niall would have probably immediately denied it, would have probably gotten half mad, but as he threw a look at Liam’s cocky smile and how much he wanted to hear Niall say it, the blonde decided that he was allowed to joke around as well. So instead of immediately denying it, he looked away, shrugging before biting the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t have to laugh. “Yeah, you know… I’ve been thinking about it, but… I mean, it’s too late now anyways, isn’t it? Also… Louis probably couldn’t pay me half as well, so… “

There was a moment of silence where Niall almost thought he had taken it too far, that he had genuinely pissed Liam off now and the apology was already on the tip of his tongue as he mentally slapped himself for being so stupid, but… turned out there was no real reason to. Liam didn’t laugh, but his face was so close to cracking as Niall looked up that he already knew he had no reason to be worried. “Okay, wow, that was… I don’t know if we should be spending any more time together right now, I think I need a moment.”

The thing was, Liam was so good at faking it that Niall had yet another scare, his face dropping for just a moment, panic filling him at how hard Liam’s face had gotten all of a sudden, how serious he had sounded, only to make a complete fool out of himself when the older man simply started laughing loudly.

“Oh my god, you should have seen your face.” Alright, okay, maybe it was a little bit funny, but more than that, the blonde was simply relieved and nothing else, now pretending to be mad at Liam, even rolling his eyes when the older man pulled him back into his arms. “Awww, were you scared about getting me angry?”

“No, I… I wasn’t, I knew that… that you were just joking, so… “ Well, except for that one second but Niall still tried to play it cool, his skin heating up when Liam kissed his cheek, not pulling away as he laughed so his hot breath was brushing over the younger’s face, causing goosebumps to rise all over his body. 

“Mhm, of course, babe.” Whenever Liam called him those pet names outside of the bedroom, it did something to Niall that the blonde wasn’t quite sure where to place, so he desperately tried to ignore it, even tried to lightly push out of Liam’s arms but the older man wouldn’t let him. Instead, he made it even worse by bringing his lips to the blonde’s hair, almost making him shiver in his arms. “You know what’s gonna happen though, when we’re back at mine later and you weren’t good?”

“I-I… I was just… just joking… “ Okay, now why was Liam whispering dirty things into his ear making Niall hard?! 

“Hmmm… I don’t know if I believe that. Maybe I need to hear you say it, you know… “ There was no need to specify what exactly he seemed to want to hear so desperately and Niall’s knees were about to give in any second, the only thing holding him upright being Liam’s strong arms.

“I… “ Niall started, trying to get the courage to actually say these words because despite the fact that he was just saying them because Liam wanted to hear them, they were still true after all. “I w-wouldn’t, uh… I wouldn’t wanna do… this, with anybody else but you. And… especially not Louis… “

“Why not?” Liam kept pressing on, lips still against the younger’s ear and his grip having gotten quite tight, possessive almost even though they were all alone and Niall was seriously about to lose it. 

“Because… “ Again, it was all very much true and maybe the brunette knew that, maybe that was why he wanted Niall to say it out loud, because deep down they both knew that there wasn’t even the hint of a lie in those words. Especially because Niall seemed to be incapable of stopping himself once he had gotten started. “Because… you’re so… fucking hot a-and… since last Tuesday, I-I… I’ve been… fantasizing about… sucking you off again and… s-sometimes, I… I can’t concentrate in class because… because I think about y-you… touching me and… f-fucking me… “

“Is that so?” He was such a tease, getting Niall all breathless and blushed on pure purpose and the blonde actually hated himself for being so weak, but… he just couldn’t seem to get himself to pull away from Liam, wanted to actually lean even closer towards him. “Well… we’re gonna see what will happen later, right?”

Niall had no idea what to answer, he also didn’t really get a chance to either because Liam simply kissed his ear before stepping away, the same cocky smirk on his face, but maybe even more prominent now. 

“I think I need you to show me how to properly stand again. I might have forgotten.” Then he winked at the blonde and Niall couldn’t really do anything but stare for a few seconds, his throat and mouth feeling terribly dry, his heart bumping so fast that he could feel it in his fingertips. How was it that Liam had such a huge effect on his body? That he could get such a heavy reaction out of Niall each time he … did nothing else besides whispering into his ear?

It was pretty darn hard, trying to pull himself together, but Niall still did his very best pretending like Liam’s teasing hadn’t affected him at all, when in reality, he had a fucking hard time to just normalize his breathing. All Niall could think about for probably the next half an hour was what Liam had just been whispering into his ear and he really hated that he almost got nervous thinking about how the brunette would possibly not fuck him later, just as a joke, because he liked to get the blonde upset.

But he wouldn’t do that, right? He was just joking around and his only goal probably was to get the blonde all blushed and excited and well… he had greatly succeeded at that, like always.

They weren’t really alone on the golf course because it was a rather sunny day, so they had to stop touching each other all the time once they had moved on, which was kind of a good thing because the younger boy really needed to calm down before they met up with Harry, like… obviously his best friend was going to read him like an open book anyways, but Niall didn’t have to make it _that_ easy.

After like 5 hours, they decided to call it a day, also because they were kinda getting close to the time where Harry had told Niall he could be there. It was kinda awkward once they got back to the main building, because Liam somehow thought it had been a good idea to slap Niall’s ass before their ways had to part and though none of Niall’s coworkers saw, some other customers were shaking their heads at Liam. Great.

Nervousness was building up in the younger’s stomach after he had changed and made his way to clog out because he knew that Liam was already outside, that he had probably already met Harry without the blonde even being there because they had agreed that it would be way too obvious to walk out of here together.

So when Niall left the building, he actually had no bloody idea what to expect, all he knew was that he very greatly regretted having told his best friend that it would be fine if he wanted to meet Liam, that they could do it today out of all days. Searching for Liam’s car though and finally seeing it on the other side of the street almost gave the blonde a bloody heart attack.

Well, he hadn’t quite expected it to be _this_ bad.

Not only had Harry and Liam already met, and not only did the older man look like a fucking Greek god after having changed his clothes, but apparently Harry had thought it’d be a really good idea to invite Louis to come along and now they were all standing there by Liam’s car, laughing about whatever and Niall wanted to die.

Like really, he almost turned around, walked back inside to calm himself down in the bathroom, but he decided that it could have been worse, even if he had no idea how, but… it was really the only thing that convinced him to walk across that street right now. Fuck, Niall really had not been prepared for that.

“… and I really had no idea what was going on and- oh, hey, Nialler.” Upon approaching them, Niall could already tell that they all seemed to have the time of their lives or something, Harry had to stop telling his surely thrilling story in favor of greeting the blonde and Niall couldn’t even be mad at him for using his nickname right now. Honestly, nothing could have made this situation any more uncomfortable than knowing that he was the only one who was actually uncomfortable.

“Uh. Hi.” The blonde somehow managed to bring out, only briefly locking eyes with Liam before he looked back at his best friend, clearing his throat, hoping that maybe he didn’t appear too nervous on the outside. “So, uh… you already met?”

“Yeah, I introduced them, no worries.” Louis jumped in, the look on his face so amused that Niall wanted to roll his eyes at him. What the hell was he even doing here anyways? Not that it really mattered just… he and Harry only knew each other since what? 5 days? “Hope you don’t mind.”

“Nah, I… of course not.” Niall lied, now kinda not looking at any of them anymore because he found that it just made things worse.

“It’s fine that I asked Louis to come, right? I mean, we were kinda hanging out and I showed him our dorm and-“

“You did what?!” Though it was embarrassing as hell, Niall couldn’t have held back even if he had wanted to, his head snapping as he looked at his best friend who seemed to have gone completely nuts or something. What the hell? “I… I mean, why… why would… why would anyone wanna see that?”

“I don’t know, but don’t worry, I tried to clean up the mess you left this morning.” Oh, of course it was Niall’s fault again but the blonde knew better now and simply bit his lip, stopping himself from saying anything in return. This was fine, this was… not at all weird or anything and he didn’t fucking care whatever Harry and Louis did anyways. 

“It’s nice. Kinda small, but… “ Louis shrugged, which Niall only saw from the corner of his eyes because he actually wanted to be anywhere except here right now, but it’s not like he had a choice. “You haven’t seen it, Li?”

“No, but I’ve heard all sorts of stories.” There was a smile in Liam’s voice, Niall didn’t have to look at the older man to know that and he hated just how well he knew him already, but at the same time he almost felt proud. “Never been invited though.”

“I… I didn’t think you would… care.” Of course the brunette had just been joking but it still got Niall kind of upset because now everyone was laughing again… damn it, why would he have even thought of showing Liam his dorm? They weren’t dating or anything? “It’s not… very much to look at, so.”

“It’s a lot nicer though than my dorm was when I still went to uni. I had to share it with this creepy dude and he had a freaking pet snake? It was really bizarre.” Maybe it wasn’t all that bad that Louis was there because at least he forced them to switch the topic without making it too obvious and Niall would have thanked him had he not still been slightly upset. What the hell had Harry been thinking, bringing Louis home? “Anyways, should we like… go somewhere? I mean, we’re literally right in front of your work place, right, Niall?”

“Yeah, uh… “ They were on the other side of the street but really, that was Niall’s smallest problem right now, he was off of work, he could do whatever the hell he pleased. 

There was a quick discussion about where they should go that Niall didn’t take part in, he was just chewing his bottom lip, trying to figure out who he was most upset with out of the three of them, purposely pulling away when he felt Liam’s hand coming to a rest on the small of his back. Luckily Louis immediately took the older’s attention by saying something like “Oh, Liam, I gotta tell you what happened at work yesterday after you left” and Niall let himself fall behind just slightly as they started walking down the sidewalk, pretending to be checking his emails.

He had no idea what to do with these feeling emerging all of a sudden, like yeah, he had been and still was kinda nervous about this whole situation, but there was something else as well, something that bothered him even more and that had something to do with Harry and Louis, but… Niall couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was because he knew that logically, there was no reason at all to be upset about how well they seemed to get along and yet… 

“You alright?” Harry had let himself fall behind also, so now they were a few steps behind Louis and Liam, who were discussing work and Niall forced himself to look away from Liam’s back as he nodded. “You’re not mad that I brought Louis, are you? We were just texting since we met on Tuesday and… I don’t know, he had nothing to do today so I asked him if he wanted to come over and then I told him I’d meet you and Liam and well… “

“It’s fine.” Niall lied, even though it _was_ fine, but… somehow it wasn’t really. 

“Okay? Just because you look kinda… pissed off? Did anything… happen at work?” It was obvious what Harry was referring to, he had even lowered his voice so that there was no way for Liam or Louis to hear.

“No, I’m just… I’m tired. And not very hungry, so… “ They had all agreed to get something to eat, well, the other three had, Niall hadn’t said a word. He already knew that Liam was going to pay the entire bill by himself, spend even more money and furthermore even on his best friend and… Niall didn’t quite know how to feel about that. 

“Oh. We can also go somewhere else and-“

“No, it’s… it’s fine. Whatever.” Just, it was bloody weird, to go get something to eat with the guy who paid Niall for sex and his best friend who happened to have a crush on the rich guy’s friend and it kinda felt like a double date when it really could have never been one and… anyways, this was awkward, to say the least. 

Harry didn’t really seem satisfied with that answer but he let Niall be, for the first time in a long time not asking any unnecessary questions, but that was probably just because the other two were literally only a few steps in front of them and they couldn’t have really talked freely anyways. Not that Niall would have told his best friend anything, he literally didn’t even know himself what his problem was. 

Thankfully, they went to someplace else than where Liam had… made that “offer” to Niall, or otherwise the blonde would have probably died from embarrassment. Which he was bound to do at some point anyways, especially once Harry would start drinking beer and then blurt out with all kinds of stupid stories about Niall. Not that Niall should have genuinely cared, he knew that no matter what his best friend said, Liam wouldn’t suddenly wanna stop what was going on between them, just… the blonde also wasn’t so keen on knowing that the brunette man suddenly saw him in a completely different way.

Their seating arrangement was only a little bit weird, Niall ended up next to Harry and opposite of Liam, which was fine, only… he just knew that the older man’s eyes would be on him the whole entire time and that he would have to pretend that he was enjoying this right here, when really… Niall couldn’t think of anywhere else he WOULDN’T rather be.

“You can all get whatever you want, I’m paying.” Of course Liam had to announce that bright and loud before any of them had even been able to say another word and Niall shot the older man a look which was only returned with a very confused look back. Right, the blonde really needed to stop behaving like this, there was nothing at all he had to worry about. 

“Oh come on, Li, don’t be such a show off.” Louis bumped his elbow into the other man’s side while Harry was laughing like an idiot next to Niall and the blonde just wanted to go home.

“Okay, let me rephrase that, Harry, Niall, you two can get whatever you want.” His name out of Liam’s mouth caused goosebumps to rise on Niall’s skin as he tried to force himself to a smile, somehow upset that Liam had said Harry’s name before his though. Not that it mattered at all and Niall _was_ embarrassed about being pissed off by such a small detail, but…

They kept their stupid banter going until the food arrived, for which Niall was more than grateful because it gave him an excuse to stop forcing himself to talk every once in a while. He knew that Liam had kept watching him the whole entire time, probably still was while they were eating but the blonde made sure to meet his eyes not even one single time. He couldn’t have explained himself anyways and besides, Liam was going to confront him as soon as they were alone, so Niall really needed some time to come up with something. 

“So you never go home? Neither of you?” Liam sounded very interested after Harry had somehow started that topic a minute ago and Niall made sure to keep his mouth full so no one would even get the idea to ask him anything.

“Eh, not really. I mean, we do for holidays of course, but… I mean, if we ever do go home it’s to visit my parents, they live a few hours away. But Niall’s parents are in Ireland, so… “ Right, that was not a very good topic at all, Niall could literally feel everyone’s eyes burning holes into his skin but he simply ignored it, pretending like none of this was even about him. ”And they’re divorced too and his brother is kinda a bit psycho.”

Great, absolutely brilliant, why would Harry feel the need to tell Liam and Louis _that_?! Like, sure, it was kind of a funny topic and he and Harry had been joking about his brother more than once but it didn’t mean he could just… say it in front of other people for god’s sake, especially Liam. Niall really loved Harry, but sometimes he just said too much without putting any thought in it, quite like when they had bumped into Louis on Tuesday. 

“Why is that?” Liam was again the one asking, now sounding worried instead of curious and Niall almost looked up to meet his eyes, almost. 

“I don’t know, I mean like… he’s not _that_ bad, just… anyways, ummm… “ Harry had probably noticed just how tense the blonde had gotten because he suddenly started trailing off, as if he wasn’t sure anymore how to continue, as if he had finally noticed that what he had said had been pretty dumb. “Maybe we should… talk about something else.”

And then before Niall had even thought about it himself, before anybody else could have thought about another topic, the blonde decided within half a second that he really needed a break, at least for a few minutes. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom.”

Standing up without looking anyone in the face was really hard, but Niall somehow did it, feeling only slightly childish as he simply walked away. Maybe he needed the toilet, what did the others know? They probably didn’t even care anyways, Harry would probably use the chance to tell them even more things about Niall that no one had ever asked for, no need for the blonde to be sitting there listening. 

The bathroom wasn’t very hard to find to Niall’s disappointment, he would have really liked an excuse to stay away longer. Not that that kept him from anything, Niall actually simply locked himself into a bathroom stall, sitting on the closed toilet lid for a while, trying to figure out what exactly his problem was.

He had been really nervous about Harry meeting Liam, obviously, since his friend never seemed to think about what he was saying out loud, but now with Louis being there as well… everything had just gotten that tiny bit worse. Like… why the hell would Harry bring Louis to their dorm? Like, what the hell? 

Also, what if they were going to constantly start hanging out now and then ask Niall and Liam to come as well, which would be weird as hell because very obviously Harry and Louis had a different relationship and anyways… this wasn’t what Niall had wanted this to turn into. He was relieved that Harry knew, but he had also kinda enjoyed keeping Liam his secret and now… now they were openly discussing it over lunch or what?

After Niall realized that he had been sitting there way too long, he forced himself to get out of the bathroom stall, not really looking whether anyone else was there as well because he didn’t really care anyways, which turned out to be a tiny bit of a mistake. 

“What are you doing?” It was Liam, he was just standing there, leaning against the sinks, and Niall had almost run into him on his way out, of course not having planned on washing his hands because he hadn’t even been using the toilet after all.

“Uh… nothing? I had to… use the toilet.” The blonde lied, internally hating himself for having been so damn stupid and not even having flushed the toilet as a cover up. Now Liam probably thought he was either a liar or even worse, he thought Niall didn’t flush the toilet AND didn’t wash his hands. 

“Right.” The brunette didn’t sound convinced at all, actually, he was crossing his arms in front of his chest as Niall briefly looked at him, then away again as he went to wash his hands, even though there was no use to anymore, he simply wanted to waste time. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, I… what do you mean?” Playing dumb was probably a really bad idea, Niall could see the red spots appearing on his face in the mirror, but he really didn’t know what else to say. 

“You’ve been really quiet and… look, I’m sure Harry didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable with what he said, he actually wanted to go after you and apologize, but I told him not to.” Thank god, that would have been even worse than this situation right here. “Still, you’ve been acting weird before that as well, is it because he brought Louis?”

“No, I… I don’t care that he brought Louis… “ Only a little bit, but Niall wasn’t going to admit that. He sighed a bit, drying his hands on his jeans before turning around so he was leaning against the sink next to Liam.

“But?” Liam asked after a second of hesitation and Niall opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out, he simply stared straight ahead, not knowing how to explain himself to the brunette without sounding like a fucking idiot. “You can tell me, you know… whatever it is.”

Since Niall didn’t give an answer, Liam just waited a bit before suddenly pushing away from the sink and Niall almost thought that he was simply going to leave, but instead he stepped in front of the blonde, so close that they were almost touching, his hand grabbing a soft hold of Niall’s chin, forcing him to lift his head so they could look at each other. 

“You think it’s going to be weird between us, if they get even closer? Or that Harry would tell me something that I shouldn’t know?” God damn it, why was he so bloody good at reading Niall?

“No, just… I mean… yes, but… he just… he seems to think that… you know, he just says things without wanting to be mean or to make me embarrassed for fun, but… anyways, that’s not… not the thing, I just… “ The thing was, Liam was not going to let Niall go without a real answer, so the blonde might have at least tried to put his troubles into words. “I don’t know, I… it’s just so… weird, that they get along so well and I don’t actually care, just… I don’t want to like… what if… what if Harry starts inviting Louis over to our dorm all the time? Or… or if he wants us all to hang out all the time and… I mean, if they really get along then that’s good for them, but… “

“Niall, whatever the two of them are doing has nothing to do with us though, or with your friendship with Harry.” Right, but… somehow Liam was wrong, because… it had a whole lot to do with it, but Niall bit his tongue, now finally looking the older man properly in the eye, feeling shivers down his spine when the older’s hand moved into his hair, in a kinda comfortingway. “If they start hanging out all the time then let them, you can come to mine whenever you want and let them have the dorm. Or if you’re worried you’re not going to be able to spend any time with Harry anymore, I can talk to Louis and-“

“No, I… that’s… definitely not it.” They were living out of each other’s pockets since years, so that was Niall’s smallest problem, even though he might have answered a bit too fast, making Liam laugh for a second before he went back to being serious, as if he genuinely wanted to make the blonde feel better.

“Alright. I can promise you though, I’m not keen on all four of us hanging out all the time either, I had no idea Harry was going to bring Louis, but… it’s just this one time, okay? I mean, maybe it’ll happen again in the future, but that’s not how it’s going to be all the time now. And also, I promise you I won’t tell Louis anything about what is going on between us, so you don’t have to be scared about Harry finding out. This between us right here, it’s just for us two, alright? No matter what Harry and Louis are doing, nothing is going to change between you and me, if that was something you were worried about. Besides, I’d much rather be alone with you as well, so there’s no way we’re gonna be hanging out with them all the time. Also, if they have a thing and it ends in a fight or something, it won’t affect us either, it has nothing at all to do with us, no matter what they do. Okay?” Liam’s smile was different now than his usual ones, softer and more caring and Niall almost felt his heart flutter. 

He didn’t know what to say, didn’t even know if that was what he had really been worried about, but it did calm him down enough to return Liam’s smile, for real this time. And then, because Niall had no answer but also because he really felt like it, he simply closed the gap between them, kissing Liam’s lips to get rid of those last worries that remained. 

When they walked back to the table a few minutes later, after Liam having suggested they could have a quickie in the bathroom stall and Niall actually had no idea why he had turned the older man down, there was one thing he was suddenly forced to consider after today’s development. 

He had never really considered it until now, but he actually had no idea how whatever he and Liam had going on was going to end, because it _had_ to end at some point because they weren’t dating or secretly in love like Harry and Louis seemed to be and… somehow that thought scared the shit out of Niall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, merry christmas to all of you who are celebrating and everyone who doesnt, i hope you all have an amazing day as well :)
> 
> i thought id update a little bit earlier today, kind of as a present but also a little bit bc i dont know if ill have internet to upload later :p
> 
> anyways, hope you all enjoyed the last chapter and liked this one as well, thank you all so much yet again for being so lovely, i couldnt ask for any better readers <333 
> 
> also, im soon going to switch over to liams POV for which im really excited haha!
> 
> love you all <3


	9. Chapter 9

“Fuck, Liam…“ Niall’s voice was barely audible, it was more like a rough whisper against the older man’s mouth and the blonde wasn’t even aware of the sounds escaping him anymore, his eyes were pressed shut in bliss, sweat dripping down the side of his forehead. “Li… “

“You like that, huh, baby? Taking it so well… you’ve been so good today… _fuck_ … “ Liam’s voice broke after a particular hard and deep thrust, causing him to groan loudly against Niall’s skin, another thing the younger boy barely even noticed. He was holding onto Liam’s broad, muscly shoulders so tightly that his arms were hurting almost just as much as his legs did after keeping them spread for so long. “C’mon… lemme hear it, love… “

At first, Niall couldn’t really do anything other than moan, feeling Liam’s rigid breath mixing with his own, the older’s hot and heavy body pressing him down into the mattress as the man kept fucking him, maybe even harder than usually. It felt so good that Niall had been on the edge already for minutes and he was sure that just the tiniest touch to his aching erection would have caused him to cum within a second. Maybe that was why Liam wasn’t touching him, because he knew exactly just how to drive the boy _insane_.

They had been forced to stop kissing a while ago, now they were just breathing against each other but it still almost seemed like too much, like Niall couldn’t properly catch his breath because he was panting and moaning so much, and for some reason, that made it even better. 

“ _Liam_ … p-please… “ Niall had no idea what he was actually asking for, the bed was bumping against the wall and he could feel tears building up in his eyes, the older man’s erection piercing into his prostate, dragging across his sensitive inner walls and the blonde wanted nothing more than to just be allowed to cum. “Please… h-harder, I-I… I’m g-gonna-“

“No.” Liam half growled against his lips, slowing down for only a moment and the younger boy couldn’t help but let out a frustrated whine, trying to move underneath the other man but he had no chance, couldn’t do anything at all except for holding onto the brunette for dear life and beg until his voice broke off. “Look at you… begging me to let you come, huh? Begging me to fuck you harder? Is that what you want, babe?”

“Y-Yes… “ This time, Niall could actually feel a tear forcing its way out from underneath his closed eyelid, Liam’s thrusts getting slower instead of harder. “L-Li… “

Instead of answering, Liam actually leaned back a little and the blonde only noticed because their faces had been so very close the whole time. Before he could check what was going on though, force himself to open his eyes and maybe try begging Liam while looking at him properly, the older man was dragging his thumb over Niall’s slightly parted and shiny lips.

“Hmmm… I don’t think I wanna let you come just yet, babe… you look so fucking gorgeous like this, you’d let me do whatever I want to you, wouldn’t you? Never, are you?” Though it was just dirty talk and Liam always did it whenever they had sex and never actually forced Niall into anything, it was true nevertheless and it never failed to turn Niall on even more, even with the brunette’s thrusts having become somehow slow, barely pulling out anymore but still getting the blonde deep. “Tell me, tell me how good I’m making you feel.”

“So g-good… L-Liam… _aaah_ … “ Niall couldn’t really speak properly, his breath coming flat and Liam’s thumb still stroking his lips, occasionally dipping into the younger’s mouth and the blonde almost immediately started sucking and licking on it, as if it were Liam’s dick and the thought only got him even harder. 

“God, Niall… “ Slowly but surely, Liam was picking up his pace once more, leaving his thumb where it was for a bit before pulling it out, dragging it down the younger’s chin, opening his mouth even wider before he leaned down to plunge his tongue back into the wet heat, swallowing the younger’s moans. 

Being oversensitive and on the edge of bursting, Niall still tried his hardest to hold back, tried to ignore the hot heat in his belly and his balls drawing closer, the urge to just let go every single time his erection was sandwiched between their bodies, undoubtedly already having made a mess. 

Honestly, Niall had no idea if he had ever really truly considered saying what he did, or maybe even moaning it, because he barely remembered actually doing it in that moment. All he knew was that Liam was kissing him dirty and deep one second and then the other his mouth had slipped off again and he was grunting and moaning against Niall’s skin, his thrusts becoming unsteady, the bed again bumping against the wall and the blonde was so damn close that his brain seemed to have turned to complete mush as he moaned right against Liam’s lips. “ _Daddy_ … “

No idea whether that tiny word was actually what pushed Liam over the edge or not, but feeling the older man releasing inside of him since they hadn’t even used a condom caused Niall to forget about holding back as well and he spilled between their bodies, the brunette fucking them both through their highs. 

It seemed to last forever and Niall almost felt like he’d have to pass out or something, Liam’s hot erection inside of him, filling him up, his moans mixing with the blonde’s own and Niall holding on so tightly now that his fingernails were scratching across Liam’s smooth skin, probably making him bleed.

When they came down from it, Niall couldn’t have physically moved even if he had wanted to, so he was kinda grateful for Liam just dropping on top of him for a minute or two as they tried to regulate their breathing, without much success though.

The older man pulling out and rolling over was slightly uncomfortable, but Niall actually barely even noticed, he still had his eyes pressed shut, one hand resting on his chest, actually feeling how fast his heart was beating, making his ears rush. Niall hadn’t thought that it could be possible, that after they had had sex more than once, that it could still feel like fireworks exploding, that Liam could make him feel so many things that he seemed to have missed out on before for some reason.

“Everything… okay?” Liam asked after a while, in between breaths. He always asked Niall that, even though it was probably more than obvious that the blonde was simply exhausted and looking like a mess because Liam had fucked him so good. 

“Yeah… “ The blonde half whispered back, trying to clear the fog in his head or at least blink his eyes open. He felt fucking filthy and sweaty and he could feel Liam’s jizz inside of him and his own covering his chest, but he just… couldn’t have given two fucks right now.

They kept lying like this for a few minutes, trying to calm down, so close next to each other that Niall felt the heat radiating off of Liam’s body. Honestly, he wasn’t really thinking about anything right now except for how fucking hard he had just cum, so needless to say, he was a tiny bit surprised when Liam spoke up. “So… “

“Huh?” Niall honestly had no idea what Liam was on about, he actually still hadn’t moved, was still in the process of filling his lunges with more air, not yet ready to really use his brain. 

“Is that like… a thing?” Wait, what?

“Ummm… what?” At first, Niall thought Liam was joking, he even forced himself to turn his head, slowly blinking his eyes open only to realize that Liam’s had already been on his face, his expression kind of… questioning but also a tiny bit amused maybe. What the hell was he even talking about? Of course sex was a thing, but was that what he had really meant?

Liam didn’t answer immediately, he just studied Niall’s probably more than blushed and sweaty face for a bit before cracking half a smirk, running his fingers through his damp hair. “Ah, never mind if you can’t remember it.”

“I… remember what?” Shit, now Niall really needed to know because he was confused as hell, like, what did Liam mean? Nothing had just happened besides them having sex and… “ _Oh_ … “

The laugh the brunette let out was a pretty good confirmation that Niall had indeed said what he had suddenly remembered and he actually wanted to fucking die. He had… called Liam _daddy_ , only minutes ago, and just the memory made Niall want to kill himself or run out of the room and lock himself into the bathroom or something, but… he somehow couldn’t even turn his head away from Liam’s, his mouth slightly dropped.

What was wrong with him?!

“L-Liam, I… “ What was Niall supposed to say or do? Apologize?! “I… I w-wasn’t… really thinking and then… then it just, uh… just came out and… “

“It’s fine, Niall, I was just asking.” Of course Liam was highly amused by it and Niall felt himself blushing even more as he realized that him calling Liam that in the middle of having sex kind of… implied that he had been thinking about it before, which was kind of true, but… he had never really… planned actually _doing_ it. Holy shit. 

“Yeah, I… I didn’t, uh… mean to and… “ The blonde randomly broke off, now turning his head away from Liam, eyes on the ceiling as he waited for the older man to start making fun of him some more. He was never going to let Niall live that down, was he, he was going to tease him until the end of time and-

“Well, if you’re into it, then… I really don’t mind. It was really hot.” Okay, that was literally the last thing Niall had expected to hear, he could barely even take it in before Liam had already leaned over to press a kiss to Niall’s swollen lips before suddenly moving to get out of bed, leaving the younger boy behind, a tiny bit confused.

“You, uh… you don’t… you don’t mind?” Niall couldn’t help but ask, half way sitting up as he watched Liam going to the bathroom, naked of course, his back glistening with sweat and honestly, had he given Niall a few more minutes, he could have easily gone again.

“No, why would I mind?” They couldn’t see each other because Liam was in the bathroom, probably getting them something to clean up and Niall could feel himself slightly calming down again. He actually didn’t even know where it had really come from, he just knew that the thought of calling Liam that more often was kind of really, really hot.

Liam came back a moment later, wiping himself with a wet towel and handing a second one to Niall, the smirk on his face somehow having gotten even more prominent and he looked so fucking attractive that Niall could barely even stand to look away from him as he sat up properly.

Other than what the blonde had thought, Liam simply dropped the topic like that, but he seemed to be in a really good mood, which maybe had also come from the fact that they had just had sex, but the blonde knew better than to address it. He had had enough embarrassment for a day, especially before when they had been out to eat with Harry and Louis, which were actually the very last people the blonde wanted to think about right now. He knew that now that Harry knew Liam, he was going to ask even more questions as soon as they were alone again, but for now… the blonde tried to ignore everything that wasn’t relevant right at this second. 

Niall knew that he probably should have left to go to his own room, but it wasn’t really that late even though they had right gotten to it basically after entering Liam’s apartment and so Niall spent a few awkward minutes sitting on Liam’s bed, putting on his boxer shorts only because that’s what the brunette did as well, not really knowing what to do.

Luckily, as Liam returned from putting the towels away, he took that decision from Niall.

“You gonna sleep here, right?” He wasn’t even really looking at the blonde while asking, simply making himself comfortable in the other half of the bed, already reaching for the remote to his TV while Niall was still trying to process the question. Oh.

“I… yeah, I… if… if that’s… okay?” Not like he wanted to ask for permission or make it seem like he really wanted to sleep here or something, but… Niall still felt more comfortable checking again.

“’course. My bed is much better than the one in the guest room anyways.” Very briefly, their eyes met and Liam winked at the blonde, the TV already turned on in the background and the younger boy was forced to turn his head away, reaching for the blanket now because he wasn’t very sure if he wanted Liam to notice in case he got hard again simply from looking at the older man. It wouldn’t have been the first time anyways. “What’d you wanna watch?”

“Ummm… I don’t know, I don’t really watch TV, because… “ Niall didn’t own a TV, simple as that, and yeah, he could watch on his laptop, but usually he and Harry just watched movies and then they ended up fighting over the plot or got bored and missed half of it. 

“Maybe you really need to show me your dorm at some point, it doesn’t sound very pleasant.” Liam was of course joking, but he was still right somehow and also, it kinda reminded Niall of Harry showing Louis their dorm just hours ago today and he really did not want to think about that. 

“I’ll take a picture or something, it’s… just a dorm, like… “ Nothing special at all, plus Niall was pretty sure he’d feel more than embarrassed about having Liam there, who was so bloody rich that his apartment looked like it was straight out of a movie or something and then comparing it to where he lived and… no, thanks. “I don’t think that, uh… that you’d be very impressed… “

“Well, Louis sounded impressed though.” Oh, god, now this was starting again, Niall was just really glad that they weren’t looking at each other, both half lying down and watching whatever Liam had left on on the TV, on a rather quiet volume though. “Are you still upset because of earlier?”

“I… I wasn’t upset, just… it’s… weird.” Yeah, and even weirder if Niall thought about how Harry and Louis were probably still together right now, they had walked off next to each other after Liam and Niall had gotten into the older man’s car. “Where, uh… where does Louis live?”

“In London as well, not far away from here actually. But… I doubt he brought Harry there, if that’s why you were asking.” Liam knew Niall way too well already, the blonde tried his best to not look over, simply shrugging as Liam laughed quietly, all of a sudden reaching over to pet the blonde’s leg over the blanket. “Don’t worry about whatever it is they’re doing together, okay? It doesn’t matter, I mean, if they like each other, you know.”

“I know, just… what if Harry lets Louis sleep in my bed?” Niall was only saying it a little bit to be funny, but more because he was suddenly genuinely troubled all of a sudden, because… sure, if they had sex, they’d do it in Harry’s bed, but… there surely wasn’t enough space for two people to sleep in. 

“Well, you can just stay here if you want.” There was definitely a smirk on Liam’s face, but Niall didn’t really feel like looking over and blushing yet again, so he kept his eyes on the screen, tried to actually understand what they were even watching right now. “Want me to change the channel?”

“No, I… it’s fine, whatever you want to watch… ‘m good with it.” It was Liam’s TV anyways and besides, Niall couldn’t have really concentrated anyways while being in the same bed as the brunette. “What’s uh… what’s your favorite movie?”

“Hmm… I don’t know, actually. I’ve got a few, I mean, I basically try to watch anything, if I got the time. Yours?” Niall hadn’t really expected that answer nor the question, he tried to imagine Liam watching some cheesy romance and it actually almost made him smile.

“I like funny movies, like… ‘m not so good with… gross things.” Maybe Niall shouldn’t have said that, but then again, Liam had asked, right? He wasn’t gonna make the blonde watch any scary movies or something, would he?

“No? Actually, I don’t like horror movies either, but I still somehow feel an urge to watch them and then… I can’t sleep.” It didn’t sound like he was joking at all, so Niall had to actually turn his head and check, only to see Liam’s face being somewhat serious. Was it even possible, for somebody like Liam to be scared about anything in this world? “But you could maybe watch with me and then we can comfort each other and… take our minds off.”

“Yeah, I… I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.” Though the thought of it kinda got Niall feeling a bit hotter, he very clearly remembered the last time Harry had convinced him to watch this gross ass movie just because it was considered a classic and Niall had ended up having to actually puke his guts out. 

Liam didn’t try to convince him further luckily, he just laughed again, reaching out for the remote again that he had dropped on the bed, making himself more comfortable as he flipped through the channels. Niall couldn’t help but secretly watch the older man, only his legs were covered with his blanket and he looked so freaking hot half lying there, one hand propped behind his head, his abs on full display, hair still a bit damp but it looked really good like this. Even after Niall had had his hands all over it.

They didn’t talk for a little bit and the blonde could feel himself getting tired. It still wasn’t particularly late but he had been getting up early all week and he hadn’t really been able to sleep in today either, so the lack of rest was clearly taking its toll now. Niall tried to stay awake though, making himself a bit more comfortable and moving a bit more in the middle of the bed because he didn’t want to sleep on the edge of the mattress and besides… it felt better, being closer to Liam, something Niall would have never admitted to himself though. 

The younger boy was actually falling in and out of a light slumber after a while, thinking that he might actually fall asleep any second, his face so close to the pillow that he could smell Liam’s scent stuck to it, but then suddenly, he almost jerked back into a sitting position as he heard the older man’s phone going off.

“Shit, sorry… “ Liam mumbled under his breath, moving around a bit until he reached his nightstand, turning the volume of the TV off and Niall watched his profile with half open eyes, hoping the phone call wouldn’t take too long. “Yes?”

It was a bit strange, how serious Liam’s voice had gotten as soon as he was talking into the phone, almost sounding professional or something even though he had only said one word so far. Niall had kinda already known that Liam probably talked a whole lot different to the people he worked with than to him, but… it was strange, having direct comparison, actually getting confirmation that the brunette’s voice was a whole lot softer and sweeter whenever he talked to Niall.

“No, I haven’t forgotten… yes… it’s ten pm, but alright… no… “ There was no way Niall could have heard whoever was on the phone or what was going on, all he knew was that Liam sounded somewhat annoyed maybe, a little bit exhausted as well. “Mhm… yeah, no I-... no… and that can’t be on any other day?... right… yeah, fine… no, it’s-… yeah… bye.”

After putting his phone away, Liam let out a quiet sigh, pressing his eyes shut for a moment and Niall almost didn’t wanna ask, didn’t think the older man wanted to talk about it, but then in the end, he couldn’t hold back anyways, kinda worried as well. “Everything… alright?”

Not answering immediately, Liam simply turned his head to look at Niall, his expression not really having gotten any more cheerful, but before Niall could start to genuinely panic, the older man kinda got him even more confused. “I wasn’t really planning on… asking you today, but plans just changed a little bit and… do you think you can skip uni on Monday? You don’t have to, obviously, just if you want to.” 

“I, uh… for what?” Okay, this was strange, Niall was already thinking about how important his classes and his grades really were without even knowing what was going on and he fucking knew that Liam had him whipped, but… he couldn’t stop it.

“Well… I’ve gotta go on a trip, only for one night though, it was supposed to be in two weeks, but things are complicated and anyways, I gotta go tomorrow.” There was that half smirk on Liam’s face again, probably because he knew that Niall would be really fucking easy to convince, briefly reaching out to ruffle the younger’s hair a little bit and then suddenly stroking his cheek for a second. “You’re welcome to come, we’d be back on Monday evening.”

“I, um… where… where do you have to go?” It was so fucking tempting, even without knowing any details yet and Niall’s cheeks were heating up underneath the older man’s finger tips and the look on his face.

“To Paris. You ever been there?” Well… that changed things even _more_.

“I, uh… no, I’ve never… I’ve only ever been to England and Ireland, so… “ So it was really fucking tempting and Niall knew that he couldn’t let it become a regular thing to skip uni just to be with Liam, but… come on, who could have said no to that?! Besides, he felt so fucking flattered that Liam seemed to want him to come so badly and no matter how embarrassed the blonde was for being so obvious about being excited, he couldn’t have hid it anyways. “If I come, umm… won’t I be a bother though? I… if it’s… a business trip and-“

“Niall, you wouldn’t be a bother at all. I have a meeting but it won’t last for more than a few hours and then we can do whatever we want.“ He shrugged, the look on his face clearly showing that he knew that he had already won anyways, his fingers still resting against the younger boy’s face as he cocked an eyebrow at him, his smirk growing a bit wider. “So?”

“I, uh… I think that… that I can… that I can easily miss one day.” Niall had almost perfect attendance so far and though he felt slightly nervous about it, he knew that one day wouldn’t actually matter. “I, uh… when … when do we have to leave?”

“Tomorrow morning, not too early though, don’t worry. You don’t mind wearing the clothes I bought you, right?” Liam’s face had literally lit up as soon as Niall had agreed and the blonde’s heart was still racing from it, somehow aware in the back of his head that he would have a lot of explaining to do to Harry and that he would have to ask a lot of people for notes, but… screw it, he almost never ever skipped and his grades were really good and besides, it was Paris for god’s sake… and _Liam_.

“I… yeah, I… no, I don’t mind, of course, but uh… I don’t really… really have my passport with me, here, so… “ Right, that was maybe a problem, now Niall was almost scared that maybe Liam would tell him he couldn’t come or something, but surprisingly, he just chuckled.

“Don’t worry, you’re probably not going to need it. One of the benefits of travelling with me to a city I’ve been to a hundred times before on business trips. Also… it’s a private jet, so.” Okay, that was definitely not what Niall had expected though he was aware he should have probably not been surprised, but… somehow he was. Holy shit, just how rich was Liam exactly?

“I… are you serious?” Liam’s fingers were still resting against his face but he slowly dropped them now, not before gently grabbing the blonde’s chin between his fingers for a moment.

“If you skip a few more days I can show you where else a private jet can take you.” It was a joke, of course, but Niall still felt himself blushing, looking down as he felt his face getting hotter because the truth was, he would have probably seriously considered it. 

“I, um… I’ll let you know when I decide that… that I wanna fail all my classes.” No need at all to mention that Niall would have probably said yes had Liam been serious, for now he was just really happy that he had made the older man laugh.

“Oh, come on. You wouldn’t fail any class at all, you’re smart, I know you are.” Before Niall could really think of how to react or how to interpret Liam’s face, the older man was suddenly leaning over, not even giving the blonde two seconds to prepare himself before he was already kissing him.

This was kinda different though than usually, because usually they kissed because it led somewhere, but it didn’t at all feel like that right now. Right now it felt more like Liam was just kissing Niall because he had felt like it, he was being a lot softer than usually as well, not at all desperate but actually rather slow as he dragged his tongue across Niall’s bottom lip, asking for entry. 

It gave Niall chills to be kissing Liam like this, both in the same bed that they were going to sleep in and only wearing underwear, with no intentions on taking it any further because other than Niall’s cheek, Liam wasn’t even touching him anywhere at all. Honestly, the younger boy had no bloody idea what was going through Liam’s mind at this point, all he knew was that he definitely did not mind at all.

 

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“So when are you coming home then?” Harry asked for probably the tenth time and Niall had still not given a very clear answer, side eyeing Liam who was sitting next to him in the car, pretending not to be listening even though the corners of his mouth were definitely twitching a little bit too often.

“I, um… well… “ Niall hadn’t even told Harry about the trip yet, he had only picked up the phone because he had sworn to himself to not lie to his best friend again so he had just wanted to get it over with, but… that had turned out to be a little bit harder than he had anticipated. “Ummm… actually, you know, I… I’ll only be back by, uh… Monday evening… or so.”

“Wait… why?” The other boy sounded really confused and Niall was only seconds from letting out a very frustrated groan. He did feel bad, even though Harry had basically called him at 9 am just to tell him that Louis had indeed slept in Niall’s bed and had just left. Honestly, _why_?

“Because, well… “ Nervously biting his thumbnail, Niall almost threw a begging look at Liam even though the older man couldn’t have helped him anyways, it’s just, he really did not know how to tell his best friend that his… _sugar day_ was taking him to Paris when both Harry and Niall had had barely had enough money for food just a few weeks ago. “Liam has to, um… he has to go on a business trip and… so I’m going with him.”

“Ah, right, gotta work for your money, right?” That had obviously just been a joke but Niall’s stomach still turned, faking a laugh that Liam commented with a side glance and a smirk. Could he hear Harry’s voice through the phone? “Kidding, sorry. But where is he taking you?”

“Um… to, uh… Paris.” Better just say it, there was no need to try and talk himself out of it and Harry was already teasing him anyways, so… fuck it.

“Wha- _Paris_?! Are you being serious?” That was not the reaction Niall had been hoping for, but it surely could have been worse, right?

“Yeah, I… I am. I can, uh… I can get you something from there? Or… write you a card or-“

“A _card?!_ No, thanks. I just… wow, I mean, I know Liam’s a millionaire and everything, but… wow. Well… I guess you don’t mind then if I invite Louis over again, do you? I mean… since you won’t be here anyways and stuff, and I’d be pretty bored all alone… “ Wow, was he really trying to guilt trip Niall now? Then again, he had already let Louis sleep in Niall’s bed last night as well. Or was at least pretending like he had, maybe they had both slept in Harry’s bed after hooking up or something.

“Yeah, I… I guess.” Not like Niall could really still ask for things, could he? “You… you’re not mad, are you? I mean, just because-“

“Why would I be mad? I was just surprised, is all. And I’m glad you decided not to lie to me anymore.” Harry didn’t sound like he was still upset because of that so the blonde allowed himself to feel relief for a moment, still well aware though that this conversation wasn’t over just yet. 

“I… yeah. Do you… do you want me to bring you anything back or not?” Just to be polite and nice of course, maybe try and prevent the younger boy from teasing him all too much once Niall was back home. The thing was though, nothing Harry could have said was made up and maybe his words were even more true now that this trip was happening and that Niall had literally messed up big fucking time last night by calling Liam _daddy_ and… god, just thinking about it again now made him wanna die.

“I’ll text you if I can think of something, thanks though. Does Liam have a private jet? Or wait, I actually don’t even wanna know before I start getting jealous or something, just have fun and- Louis just texted me, I gotta hang up, Nialler, love you.” And really, one second later, he had genuinely hung up on the blonde and Niall couldn’t even be mad.

“You really wanna write him a _postcard?_ ” Liam sounded highly amused as Niall locked his phone and finally looked over to meet the other’s eyes.

“No, I... I was just trying to be nice and… he just hung up on me because Louis was texting him.” Yeah, Niall was a tiny bit upset even though he knew he should have actually been glad about the phone call being ended this quickly, but… 

“Are you jealous?” Was Liam ever going to grow tired of asking that question?

“No, ‘m not, just… that’s weird, isn’t it? They’re like… attached by the hip all of a sudden? Did you know he let Louis sleep in my bed last night? And he’s gonna do it again tonight?” Niall was definitely overreacting, it’s just… joking about Harry and Louis getting together was one thing but… now they were actually doing it?

“Do you wanna move in with me?” Liam’s facial expression was really happy somehow and Niall would have gotten mad at him had he not always felt so damn fluttered whenever Liam was saying things like that. And the thing was, he probably really meant all this stuff, he probably really would have let Niall move in and even encouraged him to do it. 

“No, I just… I don’t know. Whatever.” It wasn’t whatever but there was nothing to talk about, so Niall just wanted to drop it, looking out of the window instead and trying to figure out when they would be there even though of course he had no idea where they even were. “Umm… how long is the flight to Paris?”

“Not long, even faster than normally because it’s a private jet. You’re gonna love it, I promise, and the food is really great as well.” Luckily Liam simply went along with changing the topic, not bugging Niall about it any longer for which the blonde was very, very grateful. 

“And your meeting, is it… is it today?” They hadn’t actually been talking that much about it yet, last night Niall had fallen asleep rather quickly and he might have used Liam as his pillow but he wasn’t quite sure because when he woke up, the older man had already started packing. Niall had simply thrown a few of the clothes Liam had bought him into his bag for work after emptying his dirty clothes on the bed in the spare room. 

“Yeah, but don’t worry, it won’t take too long. You can come, if you want, won’t be very interesting.” That was the very last thing Niall wanted to do, he might have looked a little bit too panicked because Liam placed a comforting hand on his upper thigh, only for a moment but it was enough to take Niall’s mind off. “Don’t worry, you can stay in the hotel room, or do whatever you want although I’d actually prefer if you stayed in the hotel, because… I don’t want you to get lost or anything.”

“I’ll probably… just take a nap and watch TV or something.” Niall wasn’t going to walk around in a city he had never been to before, all by himself, but the fact that Liam cared so much still made him feel kinda good. “What… what kinda hotel is it?”

“It’s a surprise.” Liam’s wink caused Niall’s belly to turn and though he had no bloody idea what to expect, considering that Liam just kept on surprising and surprising him and also… the fact that he was really rich and that whoever needed him to be in Paris literally one day after calling surely wouldn’t put him into a crappy hotel. 

The drive wasn’t very much longer, Niall still didn’t know why they hadn’t taken Liam’s car, but probably because he didn’t want to leave it standing on an airport parking lot. They also didn’t really have any bags, Niall had his pretty worn down back pack and Liam had his… possibly designer bag since he had to bring his suit and everything. Thank god Niall hadn’t even packed any fancy clothes so there was no way that Liam could convince him to come to that meeting.

“Did you, uh… did you tell anyone that… that you’re bringing me?” It had been on Niall’s mind since this morning, but he only asked now that they had gotten out of the car and were walking into the building. No idea why he even felt the need to think about that, obviously Liam knew what he was doing, just… Niall didn’t want it to be weird or anything.

“No. But no one needs to know, the hotel room is big enough, I’m not introducing you to anyone unless you want me to and it’s my private jet.” Well, that… changed things a little bit.

“I… can you… can fly wherever you want? Anytime?” This was literally crazy as hell, Niall was well aware of that but should he have really still been surprised? For all he knew, Liam might have even owned an island or something.

“Well, not anytime because I need a pilot as well, but… theoretically, yes.” Liam shrugged, as if it wasn’t that big of a deal, he seemed to be looking for somebody but Niall barely even noticed until the older man suddenly pointed it out. “Right, my bodyguard is coming too, but we’ll barely notice he’s there anyways.”

“Oh… that’s… that’s fine.” Not that Niall really minded, he was only slightly disappointed about not getting Liam all to himself until he remembered how Liam’s bodyguard hadn’t spoken just one single time the very first time they had been golfing, where it had been as if he hadn’t even been there. Plus, he wasn’t gonna sleep in the same hotel room, right?

They actually had to go for a little search to find Liam’s bodyguard and Niall used the chance to ask even more dumb questions which Liam seemed to be happy to answer though, once a while chuckling over one of them even though the blonde hadn’t intended for them be funny at all, it’s just… he was kinda really excited.

Once they had found Paddy, they only greeted him very briefly before the bodyguard led the way and Niall almost got lost once trying to keep up, so from there on, Liam kept his arm around the blonde. It wasn’t anything like when Niall flew to Ireland or back, not only was it a different airport obviously, but they also didn’t have to wait in line for the security check or even afterwards and were immediately brought to the private jet by people who apparently knew Liam very well. 

Honestly, Niall had no idea if maybe that was a private airport as well, he had stopped asking questions a while ago because he had needed the time to be impressed and to take in the surroundings, but once they had entered the private jet and Liam had literally hugged the pilot as if they were super good friends, the blonde was literally speechless. 

“What do you think?” Liam was grinning as he watched Niall’s face, sitting on one of the couches while Paddy sat down as far away as possible, probably to give them privacy or something. 

“I… “ Niall started, slowly dropping his backpack as he lowered himself next to Liam, not managing to close his mouth though or to stop staring. The private jet wasn’t massive obviously, but there were literally couches and really big seats and a freaking table and what seemed to be a fridge and even _worse_ , a flat screen TV. Honestly, it was probably more spacey than Niall’s dorm. “This is… this is insane, Liam.”

“So I take it you like it then?” He looked so proud, as if he hadn’t known that Niall would be absolutely blown away and the blonde would have maybe rolled his eyes at the brunette had he not been so much in denial about believing that any of this was real. Actually, Niall almost took a picture to send to Harry before his phone connection broke off, but then he decided it would have probably made him look like a show off. 

“I… I can’t believe that… that this is, like… _yours_?! I mean… “ What else did Liam own, did Niall even wanna know? “I mean… I’m not _too_ surprised but like… do you also have like… a yacht or something? Is that what rich people have?”

“Uh, I think they do but no, I don’t have one. I mean, a private jet comes in handy but if I ever wanted to be on a yacht I’d just rent one.” Again, the older man shrugged and Niall couldn’t do anything but stare at him. 

“Umm… right.” Actually, Niall wouldn’t have been sad if Liam had owned a yacht and had offered him to like, live with him on there for a week or something, but he really tried not to think about it. 

“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” Actually, the older man was already up on his feet, they weren’t in the air just yet and Niall thought maybe they should have waited, but then again, Liam had literally hired that pilot, so he could probably stand up whenever he wanted to. Literally insane.

Though they had eaten breakfast because Liam had insisted, the blonde of course didn’t turn down the food, partly because he wasn’t too full anymore anyways, but also because he didn’t want to make the brunette man sad or… or worried about him not getting enough to eat because that really seemed to be a great concern of his.

Liam’s bodyguard didn’t speak to them just once, he simply got out his laptop and started typing away and once they were in the air and Niall had managed to tear his eyes away from the window and gotten over the fact that they were literally the only people in here, he was even more impressed when he found Liam texting next to him, with a smile on his face.

“You, uh… wait, you’ve got Wi-Fi, _here_?!” What?!

“Yeah, of course.” For a second, Liam seemed to be genuinely confused before he started to laugh, carelessly dropping his phone just to have his hand free to pull Niall closer out of nowhere, kissing the top of his head briefly. “If you’re so impressed by the private jet, just wait until you’ve seen the hotel room.”

Was there even a need for Niall to try and prepare himself? 

 

\--------------

 

The flight was really damn short, probably only a little bit over an hour, and Niall was almost disappointed because he had really enjoyed just sitting there with Liam, trying to take it all in, getting the older man all to himself. Something that would surely change very quickly.

Liam’s bodyguard seemed to have done all of this a billion times before, he led the way through the whole airport and then into a car with darkened windows and it almost felt as if Liam was some kind of celebrity or something. It couldn’t have gotten much crazier than this anyways, right?

Though Niall had _loved_ the flight in the private jet, he almost forgot about it while they were taken to the hotel, couldn’t even stop staring out of the window and Liam found it hilarious of course, it’s just… damn, Niall had never really been anywhere for holiday, he had never even been anywhere besides Ireland and England, so seeing all of that now after only a one-hour flight seemed like some kind of dream.

Needless to say, the hotel was one of those were Niall felt like they would ask him to leave before even entering because he obviously didn’t at all look like somebody who belonged in there. Not that he was dressed too shitty or anything, he was actually wearing one of the more casual items of clothing Liam had bought him even though of course that didn’t matter because every single person of the hotel staff seemed to know Liam as well.

It still didn’t quite prepare Niall for standing in a hotel room that actually wasn’t just a room but a freaking apartment. 

“I haven’t been here in months.” Was the first thing Liam said after the door was closed behind them and they were alone, he had sounded quite happy though, as if he had missed it. Hell, who wouldn’t have missed this?! “You alright? You look a bit… “

“I… I’m fine, just, I… I didn’t know that…. that some hotel rooms are… actually _not_ rooms?” Of course that made Liam laugh even though Niall hadn’t been trying to be funny at all, he was seriously trying to keep himself from pinching his own arm ever since he had seen Liam’s private jet from the inside. “This is… almost as big as your apartment.”

“I don’t think it is, but… the view is a little bit better though.” Winking at Niall, Liam suddenly dropped his bag by the door before simply taking the younger boy’s hand, leading him into a massive bedroom and _that_ was when Niall’s eyes almost popped out of his head. 

“Wow… “ Was all Niall brought out and it only sounded like a breath, he kept holding onto Liam’s hand because he was so busy staring out of the massive windows, right at the freaking Eiffel Tower.

Of course Niall had known that they were on the highest floor, he had been on the elevator after all, but he still wouldn’t have expected the view to be this incredible or for them to be up so high and… holy shit, no one would have ever even believed Niall this, even if he had taken photos as proof. Hell, once he was back home he might not even be able to believe that it had really happened either.

“I don’t… know what to say.” They were _still_ holding hands, which wasn’t Niall’s fault though because he was literally brain dead right now while Liam was very well aware of what was happening right now but he didn’t let go either. Which maybe was because Niall was almost crushing his fingers in his grip, but still.

“If I had known you’d be _this_ impressed, I would have taken you somewhere sooner.” It didn’t really sound like a joke and Liam also wasn’t laughing, the blonde could feel the older man’s stare at his face but he didn’t care right now, couldn’t have forced his head to turn away from the window even if he had wanted to. “You’re not gonna pass out, are you?”

“No, I… has anyone ever… passed out when you’ve taken them here?” Niall wasn’t stupid enough to think that he was the only one Liam had ever taken on trips like this and it also hadn’t meant to come out like he was somehow teasing the brunette about it, just… who knew?

“No, no one’s ever passed out, but… no one’s ever been as impressed as you are either, they’ve all kinda taken it for granted. Not that there have been too many people who I have brought here and anyways, it wasn’t the same exact room.” Was he trying to talk himself out of it or something? “I did bring Louis once and he trashed the whole place.”

“Why?” Not that that didn’t sound like Louis, but… 

“Yeah, I mean, he didn’t _destroy_ anything, just ordered a whole ton of room service and brought back a ton of food and I was in meetings the whole time, so… but I won’t be this time. Not that I’d think you’d trash the place or anything.” Liam almost sounded apologetic but Niall couldn’t have cared less, he only now managed to slowly look away from the window and at the older man instead, his tummy doing a backward flip when he saw the brunette’s soft smile. 

“When… when is your meeting?” Hopefully not too soon, but then again… the sooner it was, the more time they’d have together and it was only like 12 pm or something anyways.

“In a few hours, but it’s in the hotel and it won’t last too long, don’t worry. We could have easily flown back again today, but… then I wouldn’t get to show you the city.” Sounded very legit to Niall, he didn’t even care about missing any classes anymore, all he suddenly wanted to do was throw himself at Liam and kiss the older man until he couldn’t breathe anymore. 

“Yeah, I… I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t wanna fly back today, so… “ Niall shrugged, suddenly starting to feel really hot, almost thinking about pulling his hand out of Liam’s but then… then he didn’t. 

“Good, I’m glad.” Liam was grinning now, so brightly that Niall had to look away, clearing his throat a little bit, trying to think of something smart to say, but… turns out there was no real use to anyways.

It was easy for the older man to draw the blonde in closer by his hand and before Niall could even react, Liam was already kissing him on the mouth, smiling against his lips as he slowly let go of Niall’s hand, instead curling his arm around the younger’s waist as his tongue slipped into Niall’s mouth. God, they had been snogging just hours ago and already Niall felt like it had been ages.

There were a billion things Niall wanted them to do right now, but it was fine for now to just be kissing Liam, grabbing a hold of the hair in the back of his neck to keep him close, the younger’s body curving into the brunette’s, feeling his warmth even through the layers of clothing. It wasn’t exactly Niall’s fault, that he was already sighing into Liam’s mouth, wishing the brunette’s hands would have held his waist even tighter, so tight maybe that it would have hurt a little bit.

Liam’s tongue in Niall’s mouth and his plush lips against the blonde’s were truly like a drug or something, the view and the hotel and the private jet were long gone from Niall’s mind already as they kept snogging, growing more desperate as the seconds passed by, their breathing getting harsher and their kisses a lot messier.

Niall barely even noticed when Liam made him walk backwards because the older man was holding him so tightly, he only almost panicked a little bit when the brunette made him lie on the bed, not breaking the kiss though because he seemed to be a pro at that. Actually, Niall barely even had to do anything because of Liam supporting him this well, making sure not to startle him or anything, immediately lying between the younger boy’s slightly spread legs, his heavy body pressing the boy into the mattress. 

“Hey… “ Liam suddenly started after a while, barely pulling away though, his lips were brushing against Niall’s as he half whispered and Niall kept his eyes closed, one hand in Liam’s hair and the other one squeezing his biceps. “I was thinking of last night… ‘bout what you called me… “

“Oh… “ There was no reason to get embarrassed now, Niall was already flushed all over from making out, plus he knew that Liam wasn’t bringing it up because he had hated it. Probably quite the opposite. “What, uh… what about it?”

He didn’t answer immediately, just kissed Niall again, all messy and deep, the way that made Niall’s skin crawl with how much he liked it, his lunges screaming for air but Liam’s body on top of his was barely allowing him to really breathe in deeply enough when he pulled back again. “Just… it was really hot, and I know we didn’t really talk about it at all and that you just said it without really thinking, but… you can do it again, you know, it can be like… a thing, if you want it to be. Just so you know.”

“So… so you like it, when… “ Biting his bottom lip and breathing the older man in, Niall tried to calm himself down even though his heart was fucking hammering in his chest and Liam’s fingers brushing through his hair were driving him insane. He got this, he had said it once and it had turned Liam on, he could do it again. “You like it when I… when I call you… _daddy_?”

There was a harsh breath against the younger’s skin and Niall was actually surprised, that that tiny word could have that much effect on Liam and also on himself. He should have really let that slip out a lot sooner. “Fuck… yeah, I do.”

And with that, Liam’s tongue was back in Niall’s mouth, shutting him up and the blonde couldn’t do anything but moan when he felt Liam’s hand shoving up his shirt in between them, the kiss suddenly getting even more desperate, as if hearing Niall calling him that was all the brunette had needed to really go for it. 

Niall barely even noticed Liam undressing the both of them because he did it so quickly and in the heat of the moment, kissing Niall deeply in between and the blonde was only a little bit sad when Liam half growled into his ear to get onto his stomach, both of them naked and Niall already rock hard just from a little bit of grinding together. 

“Do you want me to? Want me to fuck you?” Liam asked with that voice that drove Niall crazy once the blonde had done what he had been told, the cold bedsheets underneath him feeling like torture as he waited.

“Y-Yes… Yes, please… “ And then, just because Niall wanted to see just how much it worked, he buried his face into his arm, his voice half numbed as he mumbled against his own skin. “Please, daddy… “

“I can’t hear you, love.” Oh, of course Liam was going to start to tease now, he was somewhere sitting behind Niall, his dry finger having found its way between the younger’s arse cheeks, rubbing against his hole and making the blonde want to squirm, push back into his touch. He knew better though. “If your arm is keeping you from speaking up properly then I think we need to change that…”

This wasn’t something they had done before, but Niall could feel himself getting hot and cold at the same time at the thought of it, blinking his eyes open as Liam took a hold of both his wrists, twisting them behind the younger’s back and holding them firmly, in one hand. Shit, the slight burn from it almost made Niall moan, made him wanna thrust his hips into the sheets but he resisted, didn’t want the older man to have another reason to tease him. 

“You alright, babe?” His voice was a little bit changed when he asked, because now he was genuinely concerned about the blonde’s well-being and their eyes met briefly, as far as that was possible in the position they were in. 

“Yeah… “ Was all Niall whispered, confirming that this was indeed what he wanted, that he was okay with it, not even trying to fight Liam’s grip even though he kinda really wanted to, just to test out how strong the older man was.

“Then say it again. Tell me what you want.” Liam demanded, his voice having gotten all bossy again and Niall shivered a little bit, closing his eyes once more.

“I… I want you to… fuck me, please… please, daddy.” The more Niall said the word, the easier it came over his lips, especially because Liam always reacted with a low growl, confirming that it indeed turned him on and thus made Niall want to have the brunette fuck him even more. 

“Since you’re asking so nicely, baby… “ The grip around Niall’s wrists didn’t loosen at all but Liam momentarily retracted the hand between Niall’s ass cheeks, only briefly though and judging by the sounds, he did it to suck on his own fingers, making Niall want to cry in anticipation. Honestly, he knew it would have hurt way more, but the fantasy of Liam shoving his fingers in dry wasn’t all too off putting either.

Though they weren’t using lube, Liam didn’t have too much trouble getting the first finger in, but Niall was absolutely certain that the older man was listening very closely to his every breath, just to make sure he wasn’t hurting him. He also gave Niall way too much time to adjust and when he finally moved his fingers, the blonde couldn’t help but groan as he accidentally moved at the feeling and felt the burn in his arms from Liam holding him down and keeping his hands behind his back. Fuck.

“You like that, huh? Like when I open you up like that, don’t you, baby? Fuck, you’re so tight, can’t wait to fuck you properly, fill you up.” There it was again, the fucking dirty talk that could have made Niall cry. It’s just, it was such a freaking turn on, having Liam being in control like this, having him hold Niall’s wrists like that, not allowing him to really move, doing to him whatever he pleased. Which, of course wasn’t really the truth because the brunette would have stopped the second the blonde showed discomfort, Niall knew that, which was why he was really careful about making sounds that could have been interpreted as pain. 

“Y-Yeah… oh, god… daddy… d-do another one… p-please… “ It almost was too easy now, calling Liam daddy and Niall was so far gone already that he barely even notice anyways.

Of course Liam had way too much fun prepping the blonde way longer than necessary, he was still a bit lose from last night as well, but the brunette still made sure to drag his finger out extra slowly before shoving it back in with a second one, slightly scissoring them apart. The fingers of his other hand were holding Niall’s wrists so tightly that the blonde was almost certain that it was going to leave marks, which was a good thing because… holy shit, how fucking hot would that be?

“I… I’m r-ready… _aaah_ , please…. p-please f-fuck m-me… _please, daddy_ … “ After Liam had added a third and a fourth finger, Niall was on the edge with literally every thrust of the older’s digits inside of him, filling him out so nicely but not quite as much as his dick would have and Niall was ready to beg for it. Just like always. “Please… “

Liam didn’t answer immediately, he actually picked up pace for a bit, stretching Niall’s hole even further until the blonde took in a sharp breath that quickly turned into a moan and then a whine when the older man retracted his fingers altogether. “Sit up then, c’mon, baby, show me how good you are.”

It was quite hard to get onto his knees when Liam didn’t loosen his fist around his wrists, using the grip he already had on the blonde to pull him back against his chest, with Niall’s hands in between them. This wasn’t the most comfortable position ever but that was probably the point, for the blonde to be good and stay like that so Liam could fuck him properly. “Daddy… “

“You really want it, hm? Want daddy to fill you up so good, don’t you? You’d beg for it, wouldn’t you?” His free arm had slowly wrapped around Niall’s stomach from behind before he moved his hand up to very gently put it around the blonde’s throat, not pressing or anything, but it still almost caused Niall to fall forward because his legs were trembling so much. “You ready, baby?”

“Y-Yes… please… “ Niall’s eyes were still pressed shut, he could feel a tear escape him as Liam’s hot breath hit his ear, feeling the older man place a sloppy kiss there before his hand grabbed a hold of Niall’s chin, forcing him to turn his head enough so that they could kiss properly.

There was literally no part of Niall’s body anymore that wasn’t aching, but he stayed exactly like he was supposed to, kissed Liam back even when he felt the older man’s hand dropping down again, grabbing a hold of himself as he rubbed his cock head against Niall’s hole before pushing in with just one thrust, holding the younger boy pressed tightly against him from behind. 

Obviously, their kiss broke when Liam started thrusting into the blonde, his breath going rigid and his grunts were right next to Niall’s ear as the blonde dropped his head onto Liam’s shoulder, not quite knowing if he had ever been moaning quite as much. 

Liam’s free hand wrapped around Niall’s leaking erection, jerking him off quickly while thrusting into him, spreading the precum over the younger’s boy’s length, rubbing his thumb over the slit. “So wet for me, aren’t you? _Fuck_ … you feel so good baby… so fuckin’ good… just for your daddy, yeah?”

“Y-Yeah… _yeah, aaaah_ , just… just for y-you… “ Niall was so damn close, he almost couldn’t think anymore, feeling Liam’s lips against the side of his exposed neck, his beard scratching over the sensitive skin as he kept fucking into his prostate, filling him up all hotly and thick, his slightly raw hand playing with Niall’s dick and his balls, the only audible sounds being their moans and the wet sounds of Liam’s erection thrusting into the blonde’s ass, his fist jerking the younger boy off.

“Come for me, baby… c’mon… I know you’re so close… fuck… “ Almost instantly upon Liam giving him permission to come, Niall could feel another moan falling over his lips, possibly so loud that people one floor down could hear him, and then the blonde was pushed over the edge, the only thing holding him upright being Liam as he spilled over the brunette’s hand and his own belly, even the sheets of the bed. “God, Niall… “

Liam fucked him through it, now rabbiting in and out of Niall’s hole as he filled him up with his hpt load, the jerks of his fist becoming sloppy as he kept the blonde pressed against him, lips now pressed against the younger boy’s shoulder as he moaned against his skin, both of them riding out their orgasms.

When Niall came down from it, he literally couldn’t feel anything, his ears felt like they were stuffed with wool and his eyes were struggling to stay open. He barely even noticed Liam pulling out of him, releasing his hands but keeping his arms around the blonde as he made him lie down on the bed properly, on his side, before lying down behind him. Though Niall’s arms really burned, he still lifted one of them to grab a hold of Liam’s hand on his waist, making sure to pull it down next to his face instead.

“You alright?” The brunette was barely whispering into Niall’s ear, his heated body pressed up behind the blonde and Niall couldn’t manage anything more than a very quiet ‘Yes’.

They didn’t talk anymore after that but Niall felt Liam’s lips pressed against the back of his head and his bare shoulder once a while, his thumb very gently rubbing across Niall’s wrist where his fingers had been and when the blonde couldn’t bear to keep his eyes open any longer, he let the warmth of Liam’s body and the intimacy of lying like this lull him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!
> 
> thank you to every single one of you who has been reading my fics! especially those who always take the time to leave me a comment and leave me kudos and who have been reading my fics for months or maybe even years <333 i love you all very very much and without you guys idk if id ever written as many fics as i have, but you really keep me motivated to do what i love and im so happy i get to share my writing with all of you and that you are genuinely enjoying it!
> 
> so i hope you all liked the chapter! the daddy kink is definitely something i have never thought i would write but here we are :p if anyone wonders bc of what i said in the notes last time, i will switch to liams POV which will probably happen in chapter 11 and im going to stick with that for the rest of the fic (at least thats the plan!), which will probably be another 10 chapters i think!


	10. Chapter 10

Niall’s body felt kind of sore when he slowly blinked his eyes open against the light, for a moment really confused as to where he even was, not recognizing the wall he was staring at or the picture hanging right there. It all came back after a few seconds of course, after he had rubbed his eyes for a while and turned onto his back, for a moment really panicked when he noticed that he was alone. 

“Liam?” The blonde tried, though rather quiet because his voice was still thick from sleep, struggling to get into a sitting position. There was a piece of paper on the bedside table that Niall had almost overlooked because he had suddenly realized that he had definitely not covered himself with a blanket before falling asleep but that Liam must have tucked him in or something. Was it appropriate, to get a tight throat because of that? Probably not.

Picking up the piece of paper, Niall found himself smiling a little bit before quickly forcing himself to stop even though no one was here anyways. Liam had already left for his meeting, and he had written that he’d be back at like 4 or 5 and Niall had no clock right now, but judging from how sleepy he felt, he had probably been passed out for quite a while.

Obviously, the embarrassment did settle in about what had happened, about Niall calling Liam daddy about five hundred thousand times, but… it also kinda got the blonde feeling really turned on again, because Liam had so clearly been into it as well and the thought of doing it again, of getting the older man to hold him like that again, take full control, was… not at all off putting.

That was something though that Niall would have rather not thought about in depth, he had never known he had had kinks like that and it had all only arisen when he had met Liam so now he just kinda… ignored it whenever they didn’t have sex just because it was easier to be okay with it that way. Not that it was wrong, right? They could do and call each other whatever the hell they wanted and no one would ever have to know.

After sitting on the bed for a while trying to clear his head, Niall decided to get up and take a shower even though his limbs were still kinda store from before. The hotel room, or rather apartment, was fucking incredible and though Niall knew that it would make him look like a show off, he did go around taking pictures on his phone after getting out of the shower and putting on some fresh clothes.

Afterwards, Niall decided to just lie on the bed and watch some TV, use the hotel Wi-Fi and wait for Liam to come back because it was rather close to the time when he should be back anyways. Not that Niall couldn’t be without the older man for a few hours, it’s just… he was excited, he was in a country he had never been in and… he didn’t need any excuses to want Liam to come back, right?

The thing was though, after changing his position about ten million times while watching TV and finally ending up on his stomach, Niall decided that putting his head down for just a single second would be a really good idea and had he known sleep would have overcome him again this quickly, he might have decided to sit up instead. 

“Hey, sleepyhead, are you ever gonna wake up?” Liam’s voice almost caused Niall to panic, his eyes flew open in the split of a second, feeling confused and disoriented as the brunette man was laughing at him, ruffling his hair. “Sorry, I didn’t wanna startle you, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I… I’m fine, I… I was just... “ Just taking another nap after already having napped for hours, right. “You… you’re back, you… how was your, uh… meeting?”

“Boring as hell of course. Sorry I’m late by the way, it was more to discuss than I thought.” He sounded very apologetic, getting up from the edge of the bed where he had been sitting, still in his suit, but not before pressing a kiss to Niall’s cheek. “You still wanna go out and do something? We can stay in if you want, if you’re tired and-“

“No, I’m not tired, I was just… “ Actually, Niall didn’t know what he had been planning on saying, all he knew was that now that Liam was back, he suddenly felt really energized. “Maybe… maybe it was, uh… the jet lag or something.”

“Mhm. One-hour time difference, babe.” Liam laughed as he fully got up, already undoing his tie and the buttons of his shirt while Niall slowly sat up on the bed, trying not to stare too much. The older man looked so fucking hot in a suit it should have been illegal, how could anyone have a meeting with him and not have their brain turn to complete mush? “Are you hungry?”

“Umm… a bit, yeah.” They hadn’t eaten in a while actually and Niall’s stomach wasn’t growling just yet but he was sure it would be in the most inappropriate situation ever so he decided it was probably better not to lie. 

“Okay, I’ll be done in a minute and then we can go, yeah? Wait… have you gotten up, showered and put on clothes and then gone back to sleep?” The older man had now taken off all of his clothes except for his underwear and shirt, which was unbuttoned though, going through his bag and Niall honestly thought about asking Liam to stay in just so they could have sex again, right at this second. He was going crazy, wasn’t he? 

“I didn’t plan on… going back to sleep, but… nothing was on and I was still kinda tired, so… “ Not anymore though, not with Liam giving such a show. “But ‘m good now, I… where are we gonna go?”

“I’d take you up on the Eiffel Tower, but I think we should save that for tomorrow, because it’ll get dark soon. But just wait until you see it light up from up in here, it’s really mind blowing.” Niall didn’t doubt that for just one second, he actually didn’t care at all where they were going to go, he was pretty sure that there was nothing in the world he could have not enjoyed with Liam being there. Maybe that was slightly pathetic, but… it was true anyways.

Once Liam had gotten dressed into normal clothes and Niall had had the hardest time ever writing a fake text message on his phone just so he would look busy, the older man simply came over to the bed with a smile, stretching both his arms out towards Niall and the younger boy didn’t even think twice before taking his hands, letting Liam pull him onto his feet as if he didn’t even weigh more than a feather.

“Thanks for not complaining that my meeting was so long.” Other than expected, Liam didn’t let go of Niall’s hands immediately, he just pulled him in closer towards him before his hands moved to the younger’s hips instead and before Niall could react, Liam was kissing him. It wasn’t a deep kiss or anything, not desperate or any of the like, just a little bit more than a peck and Niall could still feel it in his bones when they pulled apart.

“Why… why would I complain?” Liam had brought him to fucking Paris into what looked like the most expensive hotel in the whole world, pretty sure no one would have complained about that.

“I don’t know.” The older man shrugged and Niall could tell that he actually did know why he had said it, but Liam didn’t let him continue, simply cutting him off with another kiss and a smirk so gorgeous that the blonde simply forgot what he had been about to ask. “Let’s go, I still wanna show you around a bit before it gets too dark. Oh, and did you bring a jacket or something?”

“I… not really.” Niall’s lips were really tingly once they had pulled apart and his brain wasn’t really working properly just yet and-

“Hmm… you should wear mine, it can get cold. Okay?” Though Liam was obviously leaving him a choice as he picked up two of his own jackets, Niall didn’t think twice before accepting the offer, probably so eager to put on the older man’s clothes that Liam surely noticed and Niall would have been embarrassed, but… holy shit, he had called that man _daddy_ in bed, pretty sure that there was absolutely nothing he needed to be embarrassed about anymore. 

When they left the hotel, a few of the staff members in the lobby said goodbye to them, calling Liam ‘Mr. Payne’ and Niall tried not to find it weird or anything because obviously it wasn’t weird to Liam, but once they were out on the street, the older man seemed to have noticed the look on the younger’s face.

“This must be so strange for you, huh?” He was chuckling, walking so close next to Niall that their arms were brushing with almost every step but the blonde didn’t mind at all.

“I…what?” Niall did know what Liam meant, but he didn’t wanna be rude or like… make it seem like Liam’s lifestyle was weird even though it was to him, but… what did he know anyways, he was just a college student.

“All of this. The hotel, my job, the private jet… the clothes.” Liam added with a smile, bumping his elbow softly into Niall’s ribs and the blonde could feel the corners of his mouth curl upwards as well. “No, but seriously, I… I hope that you don’t think I’m a complete snob after seeing my private jet and all this.”

“Don’t worry, I… I’ve been thinking that ever since we met.” Yeah, it had taken a bit of courage for Niall to bring out that joke, but he could feel himself growing more confident around Liam in general and he really liked it, liked how comfortable he felt around the brunette by now. 

“Oh, really, yeah?” The older man was clearly biting back a laugh, pretending to be shocked as he looked at Niall while they were walking and the blonde couldn’t help but grin at him.

“Yeah. How much did that watch cost you were wearing that day to play _golf_?” He teased, not at all surprised when Liam tried to playfully shove him, but Niall was quick to take a step away, laughing at the brunette’s face. “But… at least you didn’t show up in a suit.”

“My dad did though probably, didn’t he?” Liam had simply pulled Niall back in with an arm around his shoulders and the blonde almost thought he just wanted to ruffle his hair or something, make him complain and pay him back for that comment, but he never dropped his arm again, just kept on walking like that. 

“Ummm…. Yeah, he did.” That made Liam laugh again and Niall briefly thought back to when he had first met Liam’s dad, which already seemed like it had been years ago or something. “He… he was really nice though. And… he showed me some tricks, so.”

“Sounds a lot like him… reminds me, he’s been asking me to come play golf with him. He asked me to bring you as well, you know.” Almost immediately, Niall could feel a slight shudder going through his body as he struggled to keep a straight face, hoping that Liam hadn’t noticed. Which really was a stupid thing to wish for because he always seemed to be able to read Niall’s mind or something. “You don’t have to, don’t worry, I’m not even sure if I want to either. Not sure if I want him to see just how badly I suck.”

“You don’t suck, just… “ Niall knew that Liam was in no shape or form going to impress his dad playing like he did, but… the brunette didn’t even really seem to care about that anyways. 

“It’s fine, love, it was never really my intention to be good at it anyways. You know I wouldn’t have come back if it hadn’t been for you.” No idea if it had been Liam’s intention to make Niall blush, but he had definitely succeeded at it, squeezing the blonde a bit as he chuckled. “But don’t worry, if I do ever decide to play golf with my dad, I’m pretty sure he won’t think it’s your fault that I suck so extremely much. I mean, he did pick you out as a trainer for me after all.”

“Yeah, I guess… “ This whole story would have been so damn weird to tell to anybody, not that Niall was ever planning on doing that, but… who knew what was going to happen in a few years or something. Plus, Harry would surely never ever let Niall forget about this, not even when… when it would be over for whatever reason, but Niall really did not feel like thinking about that right now. “Where, uh… where are we going?”

“Nowhere in particular really, just thought we’d walk around a bit and then find some place to eat? Unless you’ve got somewhere you really wanna go, but we also have loads of time tomorrow.” Luckily Liam didn’t at all question Niall changing the topic, for which the blonde was very grateful, especially because of those annoying thoughts that had crept into his mind. 

“No, I… I like walking around, that’s good. Do you not… have to work tomorrow? Like, can you just take the day off?” Niall hadn’t known at first that Liam’s meeting would only last a few hours, that they could have easily flown back again today and that the brunette wanted Niall to skip classes just to show him Paris, like, not that the blonde was complaining, he just wouldn’t have thought that the older man was allowed to do something like this.

“Well, technically I’m not taking the day off, because making me fly out here just for a meeting and calling me a day before in the middle of the night to let me know is… I can take days off whenever I want, yeah, but I’m not taking one off tomorrow, still counts as work whenever I’m on business trips, even when I have a lot free time. Which is why I think you’ll really like coming along in the future.” There was a really unexpected kiss on Niall’s temple that made the blonde both blush but also smile, a tiny little bit. “We can both take the whole week off and I’ll even take you to Disneyland.”

“I, uh… I think skipping one day is… enough, for now.” Not that it wasn’t tempting, but Liam just laughed at Niall’s answer anyways, his arm suddenly slipping from around the blonde and before Niall could be secretly disappointed, he was rather surprised when Liam simply linked their fingers together, as if it was a normal thing for them to be holding hands in public. Oh. 

“You never skip anything, huh? Wouldn’t have thought you were the kinda student who actually takes uni this serious when I met you.” It was kinda hard, to be concentrating on both Liam’s voice and the content of his words AND their surroundings while holding the older man’s hand, Niall had no idea how he was pulling it off, but somehow he did. 

“Just… just because I let you kiss me in the lockers? That’s… that’s called stereotyping, Liam.” Of course Niall was joking, a little bit to distract from how nervous he actually was about them holding hands like this, not that he didn’t want them to because hell, there was nothing he would have wanted more, just… it made the blonde think a few things that he maybe shouldn’t have thought about. Like, ever. 

“You’re right, sorry, babe. You’re just full of surprises, huh?” Liam was in such a good mood and he was so amused every time Niall built up the courage to joke that the blonde almost felt a little bit of pride, like, he wasn’t taking credit for Liam being so happy, but… maybe a little bit. “No, but seriously, it’s a good thing that you’re taking your education serious and I don’t want to like, pressure you into skipping any classes at all for me, you know that, right? Same with work, you just need to let me know if you ever don’t have time for like a week or something, it’s fine, I’d understand.”

Right, as if that was ever going to happen, but Niall could still feel his stomach warming as he looked over at the older man, saw the look on his face, how serious he was and it was a really nice feeling, to know that Liam seemed to just want the best for him. “Okay, but… that won’t happen, I mean… it’s not like… sometimes my classes already end at three or something and then… “

There was no need to finish that sentence because Liam was already smirking at the blonde and Niall couldn’t help but return the smile and the squeeze of the older man’s hand around his. He was very well aware that they looked like a couple to everyone walking past them, but the thing was, instead of that making Niall feel a bit weird, he actually felt kind proud. 

 

\-----------------

 

It was really weird, actually standing in the shower without him and Liam having done anything at all, simply washing himself because they were about to go to bed. They had been out quite long actually, but time had still flown by and Niall had taken like 500 pictures of everything, also the food of course, much to Liam’s amusement. 

Niall still couldn’t believe that he really was here, with Liam, that the older man had practically been holding his hand the whole entire time of them walking around, except for when they had been eating of course. When they had come back to the hotel though, they had both been really tired and still were, so the blonde hadn’t been all that surprised when Liam had announced he was going to go shower while suppressing a yawn.

The thing was though, it left Niall in quite a weird position.

Obviously, he would have immediately complied if Liam had wanted to have sex, even though Niall felt even more tired after getting out of the shower and putting on some sweatpants. Also, he still felt a little bit sore from hours ago and walking around in the city hadn’t really helped with that, so… no, Niall would have not been disappointed had they just gone to bed.

Then again, Liam was kinda… not only paying him for the sex, but also the company, right? And it was really weird to think about all of that when they behaved like good friends around each other, which was also why Niall was really unsure when he sat on the edge of the bathtub for a moment.

There were two bedrooms actually and the blonde had no idea where Liam wanted him to sleep or if he thought Niall would come to his room and they’d have sex and… having these kinda problems really made the blonde reconsider his life choices a little bit. Not that he regretted any of this, not at all, it was just really weird to be put into a situation like this.

In the end, the blonde of course decided to go to Liam’s bedroom, feeling slightly nervous though as he walked towards the half open door, not even knowing what he was going to say or whether he was supposed to knock or… do god knows what.

So as embarrassing as it was, Niall did simply walk into the room, but he stopped one step in, feeling himself flush as his eyes met the older man’s. Liam was just half lying on the bed on top of the blanket, not wearing anything except boxer shorts, seemingly confused when the younger boy was just standing there. Great. “What… what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I, um… what… what’re you doing?” Niall tried to play it cool even though it probably came off anything besides that and Liam just raised an eyebrow, putting his phone down while Niall awkwardly cleared his throat. That was the thing about this whole situation, they could behave like lovers and best friends one second, but then suddenly… 

“Nothing. Are you okay?” Liam sounded half concerned and half confused and Niall knew he would have to explain himself, just… how?

“Yeah, I… I’m fine, I was just, uh… I didn’t know if… because… I mean… there’s, uh… two bedrooms and… “ Trailing off a little bit because he didn’t actually want to say it out loud and explain to Liam what it was that was troubling him, Niall was forced to look down, playing with his fingers even though he knew that it was only making him look even more stupid than he already did. “Also, um… I didn’t know if… if you like… wanted to, uh… do… something and… “

“Niall, you… “ Liam started before stopping himself and Niall had actually never really heard the older man fighting for words, but now seemed to be the moment. “You thought I’d make you sleep in the other room?”

“No, I… I just… “ Niall hadn’t known if it was appropriate, to just go and sleep in Liam’s bed without asking, especially after they possibly had not had sex and… it was complicated.

There were a few awkward seconds before Liam spoke up again, in a much more serious voice than Niall would have expected though. “You know that I gave you a spare room in my apartment just because I want you to be comfortable, right? Because I never wanted to force you to sleep in a bed with me if you maybe didn’t want to because of the whole situation. But Niall, you can always sleep in my bed, even if we don’t have sex, okay? Also, we don’t _have_ to have sex every night, unless you want to of course, but if you’re tired or you just don’t feel like it… you know that, right? That this was never what I wanted, for you to think that you have to sleep with me? Because I gave you money?”

“No, I… I don’t… I wasn’t… “ Only in the beginning, but Niall was still very surprised to hear Liam saying these things, especially the thing about the spare room, as if he actually _wanted_ Niall to sleep in his bed, but then again… did it really surprise the blonde? “I’m sorry, if… I didn’t wanna… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Niall. If anything it was my fault for not making it more clear, but… just so to get the doubts out of the way now, you _can_ sleep in my bed whenever you want and you’re not obliged to have sex with me. Or spend time with me, of course.” God, why did he have to be so… so fucking perfect? “And now come here because it feels weird when you’re just standing there and you really need to see the view from here.”

Looking up, Niall was almost a little bit scared, but that was only before he saw the older man’s crooked smile that got his heart beating that tiny bit faster, his legs moving towards the bed without the blonde even planning on it, just blurting out with the first thing that came to his mind. “I… I really, uh… I really want to spend time with you though.”

“I’m glad.” Was all Liam said, winking at the blonde as he crawled into the other half of the bed with really flushed cheeks but at the same time so much relief spreading through him that he almost forgot to try and suppress a yawn. “You really are tired, aren’t you?”

“A bit… “ That was probably an understatement, but Niall had already said too many stupid things for one night, so… “You?”

“Yeah, the walking around maybe wasn’t such a good idea after all.” Liam laughed softly when Niall had trouble covering himself with the blanket, having moved a little bit closer to the older man than he normally would have. Now that he knew that Liam liked having him in his bed… “You comfortable? Can I turn the lights off for a second?”

“Uh, sure.” Though it was quite obvious what Liam was doing it for, Niall was a little bit confused for just a moment, but that very quickly passed once they were plunged into darkness and the blonde’s eyes almost immediately got stuck on the window. They had been outside long enough to see the Eiffel Tower when it was lit up of course, but it was still very different to be able to see it so well while they were literally in bed. “Wow… “

“I knew you’d love the view.” Liam chuckled, moving around a bit and clearly making himself a bit more comfortable so the blonde allowed himself to lie back down a bit further as well, their arms only a few inches apart by now. 

“Who wouldn’t love that view though?” Honestly, it felt very surreal to Niall, after everything that had happened, that he was right here in this place with Liam and he didn’t really believe that some things in life were like… meant to be or something, but… what had the odds been, for everything to turn out that way? “It’s almost even nicer from here than… than when we were outside.”

“Yeah, because we know we won’t have to walk back to the hotel afterwards.” That was very true, Liam had of course offered to call a taxi though but Niall had actually wanted to walk back, even though he had been really tired. 

They stayed quiet for a little bit, just enjoyed the view and Niall almost wanted to take a picture before he realized that it wouldn’t have really shown up like that on his phone anyways. Besides, he had taken enough pictures already to make Harry jealous for a whole lifetime, so…

Lying here with Liam like this, not talking but just enjoying each other’s company quietly, not planning on getting naked or having a heated make up session was really nice. So nice in fact that Niall almost got worried that he was… getting in too deep maybe. It was true, he had definitely thought about what would happen if he like… had developed a few more feelings for the older man than what was appropriate.

He knew he would have never been able to admit it to himself anyways, but it did worry Niall from time to time, like when Liam would simply hold his hand like before or randomly kiss his face, without any intentions at all. Maybe that was the actual reason why Niall should have not agreed to this, not because it was…. weird to have an arrangement like this, but because the blonde had no idea where any of this was going except that it was possibly going to end at some point and… not in a good way.

Still, it was really hard for the blonde to suppress these feelings all the time, especially when Liam made everything going on between them seem so damn normal, making Niall feel really comfortable, always reassuring him and being so sweet and… short, it wasn’t very easy to NOT have a few feelings for him, maybe crush on him just a little bit.

Niall was really tired but he didn’t want to go to sleep just yet, he just put his head down on the pillows for a bit, in a position that would allow him to still look out of the window, his arm resting next to his face, hand brushing Liam’s arm just slightly. Of course though, that was anything but an accident. 

“Hey… did you sleep in?” Liam’s voice was very quiet and soothing, Niall felt the older man moving a bit, possibly lying down as well.

“No… just… resting my eyes a bit.” It was getting considerably harder to keep them open but Niall was trying his best here. 

“Maybe we should sleep, it’s getting late and… I kinda got a lot planned for tomorrow.” He sounded excited, as far as Niall was able to tell when they were half whispering but it still made him smile a little bit, giving him enough courage to move his hand further towards Liam, so that his fingers were resting against his skin. “Is it… alright if I try something?”

“Sure… “ No idea what he was planning on doing, it certainly wasn’t going to involve sex though or anything like that, so Niall actually wasn’t even expecting to be a part of what Liam wanted to try, but… he got a tiny bit surprised.

The older man actually moved even more and Niall almost thought he was going to get out of bed and turn the lights back on or something, but instead, he actually moved closer towards the blonde. Niall had no idea what was going on, all he knew was that his heart was beating embarrassingly fast when the older man very carefully moved his arm underneath Niall’s head before pulling him so close that the blonde kind of automatically ended up with his head in the crook of Liam’s shoulder. That was certainly not what he had expected.

“Is that okay?” Liam half whispered, he had one hand resting in Niall’s hair and the other one almost touching Niall’s, which had ended up on the older man’s chest. Right, now Niall was definitely going to be awake for a bit longer than planned.

“I, uh… yeah, of… of course… “ It was so embarrassing actually, how much Niall was enjoying this and he had NO idea why Liam would have wanted to do this, but… it had been his idea, so maybe he liked cuddling with the blonde just as much as the other way around? Of course that tiny spark of hope was really stupid because... obviously, Liam was Liam and Niall was Niall, but still… 

“D’you wanna go to sleep? After your ten million naps?” Because of Niall’s head being on top of Liam, he could feel the older man’s body shaking a bit when he laughed quietly and the blonde used the chance to press a bit closer into Liam, breathing him in as subtle as possible. 

“It were only two… “ Niall mumbled back, his voice getting numbed by Liam’s skin. The fact that he wasn’t wearing a shirt made all of this even better, if any possible. “And… and anyways, I was just… I was just bored when… when you were gone.”

“Mhm.” Liam didn’t believe him though he didn’t really comment it anymore, brushing his fingers lightly through the blonde’s hair and causing shivers down his entire body. “Hey… look at me for a second.”

Though it was quite dark and they couldn’t actually look at each other, Niall still moved his head a bit upwards, his eyes having adjusted enough so he could tell that Liam was looking down at him and before he could ask what this was about, the older man was already kissing him. It was very soft, very gentle and very different from what they normally did. Actually, it felt like a real good night kiss, all warm and familiar and Niall had to resist the urge to whine when Liam pulled away, not before brushing his nose against the blonde’s though. 

“Goodnight, love.” There was no need for Niall to be able to see Liam’s face to know that he was smirking and even though it was really dark, the blonde made sure to quickly move his head again, just in case Liam could somehow see how red his cheeks had gotten. If he hadn’t already felt them heating up against his skin of course.

“Night, Liam… “ 

 

\--------------

 

Honestly, it had probably been the most relaxed and comfortable night Niall had had in _years_.

Of course he didn’t sleep in immediately, wanted to treasure the moment for as long as possible, even if that meant he had to fight his tiredness. Liam kept brushing his hair for a bit longer before his hand slowed to a stop and his breathing got more even, chest moving underneath Niall and the blonde actually felt a need to pinch himself to be able to believe that this was real. 

During the night, after Niall had drifted off even though he had tried staying awake for longer, he did wake up once because it started raining quite heavily outside, causing the blonde to sit up a bit after flinching slightly. For some reason though, Liam almost immediately noticed, pulling the younger boy back down and this time enveloping him into a really tight hug, lips pressed against the top of Niall’s head as he mumbled something like “It’s okay, I’m here”, as if Niall had been terrified of the rain or something, but… it did help him to go back to sleep a lot more quickly.

So when the younger boy woke up in the morning, he was only a little bit surprised that they had moved position in their sleep and that Liam was spooning him from behind now, his arm wrapped so tightly around Niall’s waist that the blonde couldn’t have moved even if he had wanted to. Moving was literally the last thing on his mind though.

Niall had never woken up before Liam, so it was probably either really early or the older man hadn’t actually planned on them getting up too soon. Either way, Niall was actually quite grateful for Liam still being asleep because it meant he got to just lie there and take in the moment, how Liam seemed to have ended up underneath Niall’s blanket as well, his chest pressed against the younger’s back, arm still underneath the younger’s head and his breath hitting the back of Niall’s neck every time he breathed.

Honestly, Niall had never known how much he had wanted this, but now that it was happening, he was almost scared about Liam waking up and them having to move and none of this ever happening again. As if Niall hadn’t had enough reasons yet to want to slap himself in the face for making things so damn complicated for himself, now he was suddenly developing feelings for the man who literally was his… sugar daddy.

“Hmmm… Niall?” Liam’s voice was all raspy and deep from sleep when he spoke up and the blonde hated himself for having reached out with one arm to try and get his phone from the night stand because he had wanted to check the time. “Don’t move… “

“Sorry for waking you… “ The blonde made sure to whisper back, at the same time feeling both hot and cold because Liam seemed to really want to stay in this position and cuddle Niall some more as well. 

“’s okay… how late is it?” He sounded as if he was about to pass out again any second and Niall wouldn’t have minded that, like sure, he wanted to go out and see all those things Liam had planned for them, but… he also wouldn’t have been mad if they just stayed in bed cuddling all day long. God, he really was fucked.

“I don’t know… my phone’s too far away.” Niall would have had to sit up to be able to get it and he had already lowered his arm again, a little bit surprised when the older man immediately grabbed a hold of his wrist that was still slightly sore from yesterday, not allowing him to try and move again. Good.

“Never mind then… why are you awake?” Liam almost sounded accusing, as if there was a real serious answer to that question and Niall liked to think that it was because the brunette didn’t like the idea of Niall waking up earlier because of the position they had been sleeping in.

“Don’t know… maybe because I took so many naps yesterday.” Probably, but it was more that he wasn’t used to Liam cuddling him while they were sleeping and also that he had kinda even been aware of the older man holding him in his sleep so of course he had wanted to treasure that feeling for as long as somehow possible.

There was a soft chuckle coming from behind, giving Niall a few goosebumps as Liam’s breath hit the back of his neck, the older’s arm tightening even more if any possible when he suddenly moved a little bit, until his lips were brushing up against the younger’s cheek. “At least then you won’t be too tired today after everything I have planned for us.”

“Should I… be scared?” Because Niall suddenly was, only a little bit, but Liam just laughed softly against his cheek before lying back down, his hand still curled around the blonde’s wrist but very lightly now, thumb brushing over the veins. 

“Don’t worry, babe, it’ll be great. When do you want to be back home?” Right, they actually had a choice. Niall had almost forgotten that today was Monday and that he probably should have been in class right now and the fact that he couldn’t have cared less was a tiny bit alarming. 

“Hmm… I don’t know. Not too extremely late because I don’t wanna like, wake up Harry or something. But he only goes to bed at midnight usually, so…” They’d have plenty of time because judging by the light outside, it wasn’t too late in the day yet. 

“We’ll definitely be back before that, don’t want you going to uni tomorrow being all tired.” It seemed like a joke but it probably hadn’t been one and Niall felt his stomach turn a bit at the thought of Liam always caring so much about his well-being. “Hey… I’ve been thinking and I thought that since it’s probably not too late and we have the whole day… we could like, squeeze in a quick shower before breakfast? Only if you’re up for it of course and if you’re not too tired.”

“I… “ For a moment, Niall was about to protest and say that he had been showering twice yesterday, but then it slowly dawned on him that Liam meant the both of them having a shower _together_ and that kinda changed things. “Yeah, I… sure, I’m… I’m not tired at all.”

“Okay.” The older man chuckled, probably having noticing just how eager Niall had been to agree all of a sudden, almost stumbling over his own words. Before he could be embarrassed though, Liam’s lips were pressed back against the younger’s cheek and Niall kinda turned his head automatically, not really thinking about how neither of them had brushed their teeth yet.

It was a very lazy morning snog and the blonde could feel Liam smiling into it at first, probably because of Niall having tilted his head asking for a kiss without actually doing anything himself. As tired as Niall had been last night and as relieved to simply go to bed without having sex, as excited was he now to have a shower with Liam, because… obviously they had never done it before. Actually, Niall had never done it in general but the older man didn’t have to know that.

Getting out of their cocoon of warmth wasn’t the best thing in the world, but Niall decided that he was going to survive not being close to Liam for the one minute they needed to get to the bathroom, plus it’s not like Liam wasn’t touching him during that time because he did slap Niall’s bum playfully, laughing at the blonde when he pretended to be glaring at him. 

Neither of them had been wearing much anyways, but Niall was still kinda surprised by just how quickly Liam had discarded his clothes, not even thinking twice before he was already naked in front of the blonde and Niall felt a tiny bit distracted having such a good view on the older’s ass while he was getting into the shower. “Are you coming?”

“Uh… sure.” Niall had to actually kinda wake himself up and blink a few times, almost falling over while stepping out of his own clothes before following the older man, his heart beating kind of fast. Sure, they had seen each other without clothes on, but this was still different and the blonde really didn’t wanna like… do anything wrong? “That shower is really huge.”

“It is. And right now’s the only time where I’m actually not happy about that.” Liam winked at the blonde before pulling him closer without a warning, causing Niall to gasp a bit right before the older man was kissing him and their bodies were pressed flush together. Right, that wasn’t going to be a very long experience. 

No one had even turned on the water yet and Niall almost thought that Liam had just been wanting to do it in the shower for the sake of it, his tongue already exploring the younger’s mouth and one of his hands having slipped down far enough to grab the younger’s ass and just when Niall was about to allow himself to get fully lost in the kiss, he was hit by water out of nowhere.

“LIAM!” The younger boy jumped back in surprise, his back hitting the cold tiles while Liam was just laughing at him, obviously having had this planned and had he not been so damn cute and hot at the same time, Niall might have had an easier time pretending to be mad at him. “That’s not funny!”

“It is, a little bit.” Since Liam was standing directly in the water, he was already wet and his hair was pressed flat to his head and Niall couldn’t help but think that it just made all of this even better. “I’m sorry for scaring you, babe.”

Instead of answering, Niall just rolled his eyes, trying to bite back that smile trying to creep onto his face, making himself a bit heavier when Liam tried to pull him back into him and under the warm water, only to see the older man smirking, still amused by his joke of course. God, how could he be such a dork and at the same time a serious businessman?

Kissing while water was pouring down on them was a different experience, but Niall kind of liked how messy it was and how wet, running his fingers through Liam’s dripping hair while they were making out and the older’s hands having settled firmly on the younger’s waist, keeping him so close that not even a piece of paper could have fitted between them. 

The familiarity of all of this, the fact that they already knew how to tilt their heads and where to put their hands and how to move their tongues and their mouths was somehow only making things better instead of it all becoming a routine. Niall would have never thought that being intimate with the same person could be so different every single time, the next time somehow even better than the last. But maybe that was just because it was Liam?

Had Liam not suggested them showering together because he had wanted to have sex, Niall would have maybe been embarrassed about becoming so hard so quickly. It’s just, they were standing so damn clothes and Liam’s tongue was literally fucking into his mouth and his finger would sneak between Niall’s arse cheeks after squeezing them, the sounds escaping both their throats making the blonde even more eager to get something going.

So just because the blonde knew it would work and also because he was so gone already that it almost already slipped out without him having to think about it, Niall used the chance as Liam’s mouth slipped from his and down to his neck, pressing the blonde firmly against the wall while he was sucking on his skin. “Daddy… fuck me.”

Liam didn’t react as heavily as he had the first few times, he presumed sucking on Niall’s neck before kissing him on the mouth again, their foreheads knocking together and the older’s arms being trapped between Niall’s body and the shower wall. “Gotta turn around though, baby… “

Oh, Niall only too happily complied, but not before kissing Liam a bit longer, almost not wanting to pull away because of how nice it all felt, not wanting for it to come to an end even though he was excited about the older man not teasing him for once. Not that Niall didn’t normally enjoy it, but… it was still early in the morning after all. 

When Liam pulled away, kissing Niall’s cheek, the younger’s knees almost buckled in because Liam had never really done it like that, taking it somehow slowly and still being dominant but somehow just holding the blonde really close. Though of course it really turned Niall on when Liam was having the upper hand and letting it show, he was kinda really surprised by how different this felt, a good different.

After turning around, Niall’s cheek was pressed against the cold tiles and Liam’s hands were on his hips, his hot erection brushing up against the younger boy’s ass while he kissed the blonde’s shoulder, very softly, and the back of his neck and Niall could feel himself shiver. “I… I don’t need prep… “

“Hmm… “ Was all Liam made against the younger’s skin, completely ignoring Niall’s shaky voice though, just like expected. His finger did slip down to rub at Niall’s hole and the blonde had to suck in a breath, trying not to start begging and whining because he knew that Liam just didn’t wanna hurt him.

Without all the dirty talk that Liam would usually whisper into his ear, Niall really was only focused on the older man’s fingers moving inside of him, his mouth that was directly by Niall’s ear, breathing heavily against his skin and occasionally pressing a kiss to the younger’s cheek or anywhere else really where he could reach.

When Niall’s breaths were turning into moans, Liam slowly pulled his fingers out, one hand against the wall next to Niall’s head in order to support himself and the other probably dropping down to grab a hold of himself, lightly biting into the younger boy’s ear lobe. “Ready, love?”

“Y-Yeah… please… “ Niall was almost shaking with anticipation, kinda wanting to turn his head to be able to properly kiss Liam, but he was too focused on trying to control his breathing when he felt the older man’s erection pressing into him, more slowly than Niall would have liked but he wasn’t going to complain now.

As soon as they were pressed flush together, Niall wanted to push back against the older man. The sole feeling of having him inside of him, filling him out so tightly and hotly, not really moving at first but just staying like this, the older man’s own breath having quickened up, his free hand now rubbing up and down Niall’s side, in a kind of comforting way. 

“Niall… “ The older man’s voice was barely a breath, Niall was actually sure he only heard him because of how close his lips were to the blonde’s ear and it had sounded like he was about to ask something or at least follow it up by something else, but then… he never did. 

Before Niall could ask, before he could do as much as take another breath, the older man was suddenly pulling out again, only to very gently push back in, pressing the blonde against the wall, his breath going rigid as he built a somewhat steady rhythm, still somehow being very soft though and it turned Niall on a lot more than he would have thought.

He knew he wouldn’t last very long, especially not when Liam’s arm wrapped around his stomach, pulling him back a little so he could reach the younger’s length. He just let his head fall back onto Liam’s shoulder, not knowing whether he wanted to push back onto the older’s dick or push forward into his fist jerking him off slowly. 

The graze of Liam’s beard against Niall’s wet skin was driving the blonde crazy, he was pretty sure that that was blood he tasted in his mouth from biting his lip so hard, the moans escaping him consisting of both Liam’s name and well… ‘daddy’, but only because Niall was kinda getting used to it so he wasn’t even really thinking. Not that he could have, Liam was sending him straight to cloud nine with every single thrust.

“Niall… “ The older man mumbled again, right into Niall’s ear, followed by a suppressed groan and Niall half expected him to just break off again, but he didn’t. “You… _shit_ , you can… c-come, you know… fuck… “

The fact that he wasn’t telling Niall to wait, that he ‘allowed’ him to come whenever he wanted caused Niall’s stomach to twist even more because even though he knew that Liam was only being so dominant and bossy in bed because they were both into it, it was also kinda nice to see the other side.

It only took a few particularly deep thrusts into Niall’s prostate before the younger boy almost fell forward against the wall as he came without a warning, moaning Liam’s name as he was riding out his orgasm and the brunette really dragged it out, his thrusts getting more desperate right before he released inside the blonde with a grunt, the jerks of his hand getting sloppy as he milked the last of the blonde’s high out of him. 

Afterwards, when they were slowly coming down from it, Niall could barely catch his breath because of his throat having gotten so tight, like, he had no idea what had gotten into Liam, what had made him wanting to cuddle Niall all night long and then this… it was almost sad just how much the blonde was wishing that there was some deeper meaning behind all of that. 

“Hey… “ Liam started after they had both calmed down a bit and he had pulled out of the blonde, gently attempting to turn him around. “You alright?”

“Yeah… of course… “ Niall was still slightly breathless and he suddenly felt really tired again, but he still somehow managed to return the older man’s smile once he was facing him, kinda surprised when Liam first kissed his lips very briefly before suddenly lifting his head to kiss the blonde’s forehead as well, arms wrapping around him. 

The water was still turned on of course and they were both soaked, but it felt really nice and warm, to just be standing there, leaning his head against Liam’s shoulder while the older man rubbed his back for a bit, just holding him for a while before suggesting that he could give Niall a head massage. Was it really so wrong then, for Niall to think about how it would have been like had they been dating just like Liam had told everyone?

 

\-----------

 

It definitely was a very long day, but a really good one as well. Since they had woken up at like 9 am, they had tons of time to walk around and do whatever Liam had had planned. Not that he didn’t leave Niall a choice, but the blonde had never really been to a city for sightseeing, so he was pretty damn excited about where the older man wanted to take him. 

Also, Liam bought Niall a ton of food even though the blonde always made sure to tell him that he wasn’t even that hungry, something that Liam seemed to not even hear though. After what had happened this morning and last night, Niall wasn’t very surprised about Liam holding his hand so many times throughout the day.

He did it really casually though, as if he didn’t even notice, just catching the younger’s hand in the movement while their walking, their fingers slotting together as if they did it all the time. A part of Niall almost panicked every time Liam pulled away, thinking that maybe it had been the last time, so at one point, when Niall thought he would literally go insane, he took matters into his own hand, trying to be really casual as he slipped his hand into Liam’s. To his relief though, the older man never commented it, just squeezed the younger’s fingers and not letting go for quite a while.

It wasn’t only that though, there were also those random touches and hugs and kisses and it really made the blonde wonder if Liam would have behaved like this had they been at home and in public as well. If he would have been like this with one of their friends around or whether it was just because nobody here knew them and he simply felt like it. Then again, there was literally no reason for Liam to do these things if he didn’t enjoy them and Niall didn’t wanna get his hopes up, but… he couldn’t help it.

The highlight of the day was definitely going on the Eiffel Tower, Niall felt like Liam had pushed it to the back on pure purpose because he knew the blonde was most excited about that, but when it was time, he actually felt a tiny bit nervous. 

“I’m guessing you don’t wanna walk up there and take the elevator?” Liam had a smirk on his face and Niall would have glared at him had he not been busy staring, barely even able to form an answer in his head. 

“I… it’s really high.” Was all Niall said after a while, feeling his hand getting a bit sweaty in Liam’s because… he really did not wanna walk, but he also had claustrophobia and the elevator didn’t seem too appealing either to be honest. But he didn’t really wanna tell Liam that to be honest, just because he knew the older man would have been worried.

“We won’t walk then.” The brunette man chuckled as he had to half pull Niall along, seemingly very excited about how impressed Niall was because he kept checking his face every few seconds. “You’re not scared of heights, are you?”

“Me? No, I… it’s fine.” Actually, Niall did feel a bit light headed being up high sometimes, but he wouldn’t wanna let that get into his way now, not here, so he threw a smile at the older man to calm him down, relieved when Liam squeezed his fingers. Nothing was going to happen anyways, so there was no need to behave like a baby and miss out on something like this.

They didn’t have to wait too long because there weren’t too many people, plus Liam made the time pass by rather quickly telling Niall random history facts about Paris because he seemed to know literally everything and it was a lie to say that the blonde wasn’t impressed. Was there anything Liam wasn’t good at, seriously?

At first being in the elevator was fine, Niall pretended to be looking outside when he really wasn’t, just concentrating on Liam’s voice and the arm around his waist, hoping that he wouldn’t freak out or something because that would have been more than just embarrassing.

It took longer to get to the top than Niall would have thought, though they did have to get onto another elevator and he could breathe for a little bit, that was also the time when he realized that maybe he wasn’t so good with heights either. He had never been up this high before though, so how would he have known.

“Niall? Are you okay?” Liam’s voice sounded a bit numbed for some reason, he might have even asked the blonde a question before that the blonde had simply not heard, his stomach turning just a little bit once they were finally on the top and looking down. Was it normal, that Niall felt like the ground underneath his feet was moving? “Niall.”

“Huh, what?” The blonde could barely even take his eyes away from the view, the wind messing up his hair and causing him to shiver a little bit. Thank god there were security bars and everything because he was already feeling dizzy enough as it was.

“You’re really scared of heights, aren’t you?” It sounded more like a statement and not a question, also, Liam’s voice was anything but amused and before Niall could even answer the older man had stepped behind him, wrapping his arms around the blonde and kissing his cheek. At least that woke Niall up a bit from his half trance. “It’s okay, nothing can happen to you, I promise. Are you alright? Do you need to sit down or something? Are you feeling dizzy?”

“No, I… I like the view, just… “ It just caused his head to spin, but having Liam there holding him made things a little bit better, distracting Niall slightly as he breathed in the older man’s scent, felt his arms wrapped tightly around him as if he never planned on letting him go again. 

“It’s alright, I’m here, okay? I got you.” He kissed the back of Niall’s head and now Niall at least had other thoughts filling his mind, even if just momentarily. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were scared, babe?”

“Because I… I didn’t think I would be.” At least not like that, it was getting better though and they weren’t standing THAT close to the edge anyways, it had been worse when they had been inside of the elevator to be quite honest. “But I’m okay, I… I won’t pass out or something, I… I’m fine, just… maybe you can… distract me?”

“If you want me to, of course.” Liam didn’t sound very convinced, he tightened his arms around Niall’s shoulders though and leaned his cheek against the younger boy’s head, warming him up as well as supporting him, not speaking up immediately, as if he had had to think about what to say first. “I was actually thinking about something for a few days now and especially since we have gotten here actually, but I didn’t know how to bring it up and… I also never really thought that I would have to.”

“Umm… what is it?” Alright, none of that was comforting at all but to be fair, it did distract Niall quite a bit, especially because Liam sounded so serious, not like he normally did. 

“I don’t really know how to start this, actually, but… you know, when we started all of this, like… our _arrangement_ , kinda?” Oh god, where the hell was this leading to?! “I really only meant that, that I wanted somebody to come with me to these boring ass events and trips like this one and someone who’d be there sometimes when I get home and of course I liked you all along and I thought you were really cute from day one, but… “

“But what?” Niall half whispered, his hearting beating unnaturally fast and he couldn’t decide whether this was leading to somewhere good or bad.

Liam didn’t answer immediately, almost as if he didn’t know what to say and when he suddenly held Niall even tighter and kissed his cheek, the older boy almost thought his breath would stop as he felt the older man’s lips moving against his skin. “I never really planned on falling in love with you.”

_Oh_.

Okay, that was… the very least thing Niall would have expected, he was so bloody shocked and also confused that he could barely even be happy about it, because… what?! How had that happened? Was Liam being bloody serious?! But… but how could he… and…. 

“What, uh… what do you think about that?” The brunette asked after giving Niall a few seconds to let it sink in, sounding kind of unsure and at a loss of words for once and Niall almost couldn’t believe that it probably was because he didn’t know just how hard Niall had tried suppressing his own feelings. Couldn’t believe that it was probably because Liam was being _serious_.

So because the blonde didn’t know how to say it, he moved in Liam’s arms until the older man allowed him to turn around, his face a little bit worried once they were looking at each other and Niall had no fucking idea how somebody this gorgeous and smart and funny could be talking about falling in love with him, but… here Liam was, waiting for him to say something. 

“I… “ Niall started, trying to swallow despite the tightness in his throat, blinking those stupid tears back because it was probably just the whole situation that was making him so damn emotional and it didn’t even sound like his own voice as he spoke, more like… a dream or something. “I… I never thought that… that I would, um… that I would fall in love with you either or that… that you would actually, uh… fall for _me_.”

It took a moment or two before Liam started smiling, but when he did, it caused Niall’s heart to stop because of how gorgeous it was, how happy he seemed to be to hear the blonde saying that, as if he was genuinely surprised about Niall returning his feelings. 

Before Niall could really think about what all of this meant though, what was going to happen now, or fully take in that his feelings for Liam weren’t just a waste of time after all, the older man was suddenly kissing him pretty eagerly, smiling against the younger’s lips as he grabbed a hold of his waist to keep him close.

When they pulled apart after what seemed like ages, they were both out of breath and Niall could feel tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at Liam, both of them smiling at each other and though he had no bloody idea what any of this meant for their future or for just tomorrow, he was so happy in this moment that he could have exploded from it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone :)
> 
> again thank you for all the support, hope you all had a good first week in the new year, hopefully it was better than mine haha. and i also hope you enjoyed this chapter and that youre happy that they admitted their feelings in the middle of the fic unlike in some other (cough) fics ive written hahaha 
> 
> as i said multiple times now, i am going to switch over to liams POV in the next chapter and probably stick to it (although i dont wanna promise it bc i might wanna switch back to nialls in the end, who knows what will happen). the plot of the fic is going to change a bit from liams POV bc obv there are things he and niall dont know about each other and i was actually kinda nervous about including something in the fic and not really dropping any hints beforehand, but i felt like its important bc then you guys will be able to relate to niall more bc he obv has no insight in liams mind/life either
> 
> so i hopefully didnt scare anyone now hahaha all i wanted to say is that the main plot of the fic is going to change a bit from liams pov!
> 
> anyways, love you all hope youll all enjoy the rest of the fic as well <33


	11. Liam's POV // 5 months later

“I’m just saying you could have… I don’t know, told me in a different way, maybe? You could have-“

“Liam, that’s enough. I already apologized and it’s not like it’s any of your business.” Liam’s father was getting impatient and the brunette knew it but he didn’t care right now, he had just spent two more hours than usually at the office to… talk _things_ out, things he was pretty sure his father would have loved to keep from him. “I’m going to hang up the phone now, we can talk more tomorrow even if there’s nothing more to say.”

“There’s actually a whole lot of things I want to say… “ The brunette man half mumbled while fumbling the key into the door lock, having to keep his phone pressed between his ear and shoulder. He would have absolutely loved to a real fight with his dad right now, but the thought of _finally_ getting home to Niall almost made him feel calm. “Tell mum I said hi.”

“I will.” There was a very noticeable sigh before his dad had simply hung up the phone, something he did whenever he knew that he was actually in the wrong but didn’t want to admit it. It had happened way too often throughout Liam’s entire life. 

Obviously, he was not going to tell Niall what he and his dad had been discussing because in all honesty, he never really discussed work with his boyfriend and even though this particular thing wasn’t… as uninteresting for the blonde as everything else probably was, it was better if he didn’t know. Liam wouldn’t have wanted the blonde to worry, so he made sure to try and forget about that conversation, instead let himself be happy about finally being home.

It was 11 pm by the time Liam entered his apartment and took off his shoes, wanting to call out but then deciding not to. It was Friday and he knew Niall had had a really stressful week at uni so he was probably really tired and the brunette would have never forgiven himself for waking him in case he had fallen asleep.

So instead, Liam made sure to be extra quiet as he walked past the kitchen, his heart warming as he saw the very bright orange post it on the fridge. Niall had somehow decided that he needed to learn how to cook and though he wasn’t very advanced, he was improving very quickly for only having gotten into it 4 months ago. So ever since then he almost always made Liam food for when he came home, sticking it in the fridge if it got late like today. 

Entering his bedroom, Liam still had to stop in the doorframe for a moment though he had already suspected it, a smile forming on his face, every single thought he might have spent on work vanishing into thin air. Niall was indeed asleep, he was spread out on the bed, head on his folded arms right in front of his turned on laptop. He was also wearing nothing except for Liam’s sweatpants, one of his legs covered with the blanket even though he was actually lying on the bed the wrong way.

God, no matter how many times Liam came home to this, he wasn’t getting used to it and he also didn’t want to. He couldn’t believe that Paris was already more than 5 months in the past, almost half a year since they had confessed that they had fallen for each other and somehow it only seemed to become more intense, if that was any possible. 

After having allowed himself to stare a little bit with quite a dumb expression on his face, Liam finally walked over to the bed, trying not to startle the blonde as he took his laptop. He was planning to just close it before noticing that Niall had been working on the essay for uni he had told Liam about, _of course_ not having saved it yet so Liam went ahead and did that for him. Niall barely even made any sounds once the older man gently attempted to get him to lie in a more comfortable position, adjusting the blanket properly and making sure to tuck the boy in so he wouldn’t get cold. 

Though Liam knew he would have to wake Niall in a bit anyways, he wanted to let him sleep for a little bit longer, sitting on the edge of the bed for a few minutes, just looking at the blonde. Liam still could not believe how things had turned out, or how they had started, leading to where they were now. It’s not that he had been so surprised when he had realized he was slowly falling for Niall, it’s just… it had never been the plan and maybe that’s why it had worked? Because he hadn’t been trying to force it like so many times before?

Leaning onto his elbow to be closer to the blonde, Liam just couldn’t hold back, so he reached out for his boyfriend, gently brushing some hair out of his face, stroking the younger’s cheek with the back of his fingers, very lightly brushing his thumb across his bottom lip, feeling the small puffs of air hitting his own skin. Honestly, Liam could have watched Niall sleep for hours, he did it a lot actually, because he almost always woke up earlier than the blonde and it was honestly the best thing ever. 

Niall was so bloody gorgeous, no matter what he was doing or what he was wearing, he always looked like the most beautiful person Liam had ever met. And he hadn’t only started thinking that because they were dating, he had thought it the very first day that they had met months ago, which was one reason why he had kept coming back to the golf course. Also because he had been incredibly intrigued by Niall as a whole, obviously.

“Hmm… Liam… “ The blonde moved a little bit and Liam let his hand slow to a stop, now only cupping the blonde’s cheek, feeling the younger boy pressing into it slightly.

“Shhh… sleep, I’m here.” Liam whispered, not quite sure if Niall was fully awake or not, but just in case and because if he had woken him it was too late anyways, the brunette man leaned down even further, until he could press a soft kiss to Niall’s lips, lingering only for a second so he wouldn’t disturb the blonde for too long. 

Unlike Liam had planned though, Niall slowly blinked his eyes open after the older man had pulled back, still stroking Niall’s cheek though, smiling down at his younger boyfriend’s sleepy expression, his voice all groggy and slow. “There’s… there’s food… “

“I know, I saw it. Thank you so much, baby…. Go back to sleep, okay? You’re exhausted.” Actually, the younger’s eyes were already flattering close again underneath Liam’s strokes and the older man leaned in one more time to kiss Niall’s forehead, lips brushing against his skin as he half whispered. “I love you.”

“Love you… “ Niall whispered back even though his breathing had already gotten even again and Liam smiled, feeling his heart swelling a bit.

He stayed on the bed for a little bit longer, until he was sure that the blonde was fully passed out again. Before he had had Niall, Liam had always immediately taken that suit off after work and gotten into the shower two seconds later. Now though, he didn’t actually mind so much anymore, had barely even noticed until now that he should have probably changed because he could have honestly gotten lost looking at this boy.

Just so Niall could sleep, Liam went showering in the bathroom in the spare room, a little bit amused when he used the products he had bought for Niall when all of this had started. The blonde had barely even used any of it of course, he hadn’t really spent many nights in the spare room either and after Paris… well, he had stopped asking whether he could use Liam’s stuff a long while ago.

It’s something Liam had been more than just happy about, actually seeing the blonde boy growing more confident around him and so much more comfortable, to a point where he would even initiate a kiss in front of Liam’s parents. At first it had of course worried Liam, that Niall had been so nervous around him so often, but he had of course known that the blonde had had no idea what Liam’s actual intentions had been, he had been confused about the whole situation and about what was going to happen, so when Liam had confessed his feelings, things had actually changed rather quickly. 

Well, to be fair, Niall had needed a lot of reassurance in the beginning, he hadn’t even wanted to believe Liam properly in the first few days and the brunette _hated_ that the younger boy had thought he wasn’t… good enough or some shit. Because if anything, it was Liam who wasn’t good enough for Niall. 

Liam ate rather quickly after having showered, ignoring a really annoying text message from Louis before quietly slipping back into the bedroom, surprised when he saw the younger boy awake and playing on his phone in an almost completely dark room.

“Hey… “ Niall sounded really tired, but he was smiling when Liam entered, closing the door behind himself because he didn’t plan on any of them leaving the bed anymore tonight. “Sorry, I was actually gonna keep you company while you were eating but… I’m so tired.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry ‘bout it, babes.” The only source of light was the lamp that was turned on on Niall’s bedside table, but it was enough for Liam to find his way underneath the same blanket on the other side of the bed, not at all surprised when the blonde immediately cuddled up to him, turning his head up so they could finally kiss properly.

It was slow and soft and with no intention because Niall was clearly way too tired for anything. Still, it gave Liam goosebumps all over his body and he could feel it in his bones, Niall’s taste in his mouth making his head spin. He could have kissed this boy forever, honestly, and if it was the only thing he ever did.

“How was work?” Niall asked once they had pulled apart and he had settled down with his head in the crook of Liam’s shoulder, the older’s arm underneath him so that Liam could easily play with Niall’s hair.

“Good. And long.” Liam knew that Niall wasn’t going to ask why he had come home so late, he had texted the blonde of course to let him know, but Niall was never one to complain or be too nosy when it came to Liam’s job. The brunette did wonder whether that came from the fact that he had told the blonde that his job had played a huge part in his previous relationships breaking apart, but it didn’t at all feel like Niall was just holding back his anger or something. “How was your exam?”

“It was fine, the questions were a bit weird, but… “ The brunette felt the younger boy shrugging a bit, snuggling closer into him, his hand resting on Liam’s bare chest, slowly drawing patterns onto his skin that gave the older man a few shivers. “I also tried writing that essay before and… wait, did you turn off my laptop?! I didn’t-“

“I know, I saved it for you, no worries.” Chuckling a bit over Niall’s tiny almost freak out, Liam tightened his arms around his boyfriend, dropping a few kisses into the mess of blonde hair, quietly breathing in Niall’s familiar scent. “Did you get to finish it?”

“No, I’ll do it tomorrow… well, provided Harry and Louis don’t stay as long as last time.” The blonde sounded slightly annoyed and Liam couldn’t help but laugh because he knew where Niall was coming from. It’s not that Niall had moved in with Liam, but he did spend almost every night here and all day on the weekends ever since they had gotten back from Paris. So Liam hadn’t at all been surprised to see Harry and Louis growing closer very quickly as well, what he had been surprised about though had been the fact that Niall didn’t seem to mind anymore. Well, except for when they had stayed over for 8 hours like two weeks ago. 

“I’ll make sure to throw them out if they do, don’t worry, love.” Liam smiled into the younger boy’s hair, holding him a bit tighter because he hadn’t gotten to hold him all day long. Well, this morning after he had driven Niall to uni, but that was _hours_ ago. “Wanna go to sleep? You looked really exhausted before.”

“I am, ‘twas a really long fucking week.” Sighing a bit, Niall immediately adjusted in Liam’s arms, almost melting into his body and the older man absolutely loved just how well they fit together like this, as if it had been meant to be. “Hey, Li?”

“Yes?” Whenever Niall called him nicknames, Liam could feel his heart bumping faster, which the blonde could have possibly felt because he was lying right above it, but it’s not like the brunette minded if his boyfriend knew just how big of an effect he had on him. 

“You know… if you want to, and only if you do, of course… can you maybe make waffles tomorrow in the morning?” God, he was so cute, how did Liam even survive being around him every single day without dying of a heart attack?!

“I can make anything you want, baby.” Niall had sounded really excited, but also somehow unsure, as if it would be a bother for Liam to make him happy or something. Which was ridiculous, because there was nothing in this world Liam wouldn’t have done for this boy. 

“Okay… thank you.” The blonde moved a bit in Liam’s arms, stretching until he was able to reach the older man’s lips with his own, a smile on his face when he pulled away from the kiss, his face already having gotten sleepy again, his eyes on the edge of falling closed. “I’ll turn the lights off, okay?”

“Can you even reach the lamp without falling out of bed?” Niall wasn’t the most coordinated person, plus he was tired now so Liam’s question actually came from real worry. The blonde simply rolled his eyes at him anyways before briefly leaning away from Liam to reach the nightstand, only almost falling over while turning off the lights.

“See? No problem at all.” Snuggling back into Liam’s arms, Niall sounded very confident in his skills so the brunette bit back his laugh, simply hugging his boyfriend against his chest, keeping him safe in his embrace. 

“Goodnight, Nialler.” Was all Liam said, hearing a little huff coming from the younger boy that made him smile as he started stroking the boy’s hair again.

“Goodnight, Li… “ And then, when Liam almost thought Niall wasn’t gonna follow it up with anything, he of course had to make the brunette’s heartbeat even more unsteady. “I love you.”

“I love you too, babe, so much.” Though they had said it a lot, it still always caused Liam to feel all warm, pure happiness spreading all inside his body. Sure, he had been with other people, but everything was so different with Niall and the brunette truly believed that he actually couldn’t have been happier. Thank god he had risked it all a few months ago, had asked Niall something he would have never ever thought he’d ask anyone, and… thank god the blonde had actually agreed to it. 

“I love you more.” Niall simply said, as if it was a fact and the older man almost had to laugh because… how many times had they already been playing that game?

“That’s not even possible, Ni.” Pretty sure nobody could have loved anybody more than Liam loved Niall, as cheesy as that sounded. Honestly, the brunette had actually never really been that kinda person, he knew he had never been a particularly bad boyfriend when it came to the romantic part and everything, but Niall… he had just turned everything upside down. In a really good way though. 

“Hmmm, pretty sure it is. But I’m giving in tonight, only because you’re making me waffles in the morning though.” As if Liam didn’t do it every second day and as if Niall didn’t always look like a child on Christmas day. 

“Thank you so much, love.” Liam made sure to make it sound only a little bit sarcastic, brushing some hair out of the blonde’s forehead before Niall had pressed so close into him that there was no space anymore between his face and Liam’s neck, one of his legs in between the older man’s underneath the blanket. “We should go to sleep… so we’re fit for when Louis and Harry come.”

“You know… that actually makes me wanna stay up all night and then randomly pass out during the day tomorrow.” It wasn’t like Niall didn’t love Harry and Louis because he did, a lot, but Liam was pretty sure that Niall was somehow trying to stick to what he had been complaining about months ago, about it being weird if they ever started dating. Little had Liam known that it had probably been because the blonde had been jealous of the idea of their two best friends genuinely dating while he and Niall were only… hooking up. Good thing that things had shifted a bit. 

“You wouldn’t even be able to stay up all night, Nialler.” Especially not if he had already fallen asleep god knows how many hours before Liam had even come home. At least now he knew why he had never gotten a text back to telling Niall that he would be late. 

“Of course I could, I did it when we went to the Bahamas, didn’t I?” Right, not that Liam had forgotten about that because he surely would never _ever_ forget any of their trips, especially not the ones that hadn't been business trips but him simply wanting to be all alone with the blonde and showing him as much of the world as somehow possible. “I mean… you helped keeping me awake with a blowjob or ten, but… if you wanna try that again though, I’d be very happy to turn the lights back on.”

It was true, what Niall was talking about, they had indeed been up all night having sex and then watching the sunrise from the bed and it had probably been the most romantic thing Liam had ever done. He only chuckled though, pressing a final kiss to Niall’s head before squeezing him gently, not even attempting to get into it because god knows that boy had possibly even been serious. “Goodnight, baby.”

 

\--------------

 

“… see?! This is bullshit, absolute _crap_! I mean, honestly, writing an essay on _that_ topic is hard enough, why do I need to include FIVE bloody sources?! Who has time for that?” It’d be a lie to say that Liam wasn’t at least a little bit amused by Niall’s tiny outbreak, but he was trying really hard not to crack a smile, not wanting to upset the boy because he had been freaking out over this essay for quite a while now.

“Do you want me to help you look for something?” Liam had already offered that three hundred times, but the blonde had turned down his help every single time, so the brunette wasn’t trying to push it. For a while, Niall hadn’t accepted any help at all when it came to uni stuff and Liam knew it had been because he hadn’t wanted the brunette to think that what he was doing was somehow too easy, or that the brunette thought his uni wasn’t good or something.

So the fact that Niall turned his laptop around with a heavy sigh and pushed it towards Liam across the couch was already a good thing. “Can you just read over that paragraph, please? I swear, I’m gonna lose it any second.”

“Please don’t.” Liam smiled briefly as he looked over at the younger’s face before taking his laptop, placing it in his lap on top of the work he had been attempting to look over for Monday. Not that he would have done that had Niall not had homework, he always made sure to at least keep the weekends free from doing any work, spend as much time with the blonde as possible because they barely saw each other during the week anyways.

Of course Niall kept on complaining the whole time while the older man read through his essay, which was a good thing because that meant he didn’t realize Liam correcting a few mistakes. Minor ones, but it would have probably still caused the younger boy to get even more frustrated had he noticed. “I bet Harry has completely forgotten about the whole essay, he’s gonna freak out when I tell him later and then he’s gonna try to bribe me to write it for him.”

“Babe, it’s only due in two weeks though, isn’t it?” Okay, that had been the wrong thing to say.

“Yeah, but it’s really important?!” And just like that, the blonde went back over to complaining and Liam had to bite the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t laugh. Niall wasn’t much of a complainer at all, but he was trying so hard to get good grades and Liam was so proud of him that he of course didn’t say anything and just tried his best to help.

It was raining pretty hard outside and the windows were all foggy, but it was really comfortable just sitting on the couch with Niall after sleeping in and eating so many waffles that the blonde had made Liam rub his belly afterwards. Also, it really distracted Liam from other things going on in his life, for example his dad having called before Niall had even woken up, kinda ruining Liam’s morning a bit.

“It’s really good, babe, there’s no need to stress out so much.” Liam handed back the laptop after reading through it, kinda wishing he could have said something that genuinely calmed his boyfriend down but the blonde just sighed anyways, somehow having run out of things to say. 

“Thank you. It’s probably gonna turn out shite… “ And then, the blonde looked at the screen for about two more seconds before closing the laptop and putting it on the coffee table, surprising Liam a bit by curling up underneath his arm and snuggling into his side. “What’re those papers for?”

“It’s just finance stuff, really boring, actually.” Liam hadn’t really been getting anything done, not with Niall next to him talking so much, but it’s not like the brunette minded. In fact, he made sure to put everything away in favor of pulling the younger boy in closer, resting his cheek against his head, rubbing the boy’s arm slowly. “Maybe we should both stop working for today, I mean, we’ve gotten a lot done, right?”

“We’ve only been sitting here for half an hour though.” Well, that was very true.

“Yeah, but… I’ve missed you the whole entire week and I’d much rather cuddle with you than look at one more number on here.” Liam wasn’t trying to make Niall feel guilty because god knows it was his own fault that they barely saw each other during the week except for at night and in the morning, but it was true anyways.

Besides, Niall hadn’t been very hard to convince at all, he was smiling softly when he lifted his head to look at Liam, already kissing him before the older man had even realized what was going on. “I really missed you too.” 

It was very gentle at first, their lips moving in perfect sync until Liam softly pried the younger’s mouth open with his tongue, his arm wrapped tightly around the blonde as they kissed, his free hand coming up to cup the younger’s cheek. Kissing Niall like this, without any stress and knowing that they didn’t have to leave soon or go anywhere was like a drug to Liam, it’s like, everything suddenly seemed to be so easy and all of Liam’s problems faded into thin air, the only thing that mattered being Niall. 

They had been doing this so often that Niall easily moved to straddle Liam’s lap without breaking the kiss, tightly wrapping his arms around the older’s neck and sighing into his mouth as he opened his lips further, tongue sliding wetly against Liam’s. The angle was so much better like this and though this had happened a hundred times before, it always felt like the very first time and even better than the time before that. 

Liam had texted Louis before telling him that he and Harry could come over whenever they wanted, but that was of course the very last thing on his mind right now. Whatever, they could just stand in front of Liam’s door and wait, the brunette really didn’t care at all, every single one of his thoughts was just revolving around his boyfriend, about everything he wanted to do to him.

Rubbing his hands up and down Niall’s back, cupping his arse and pulling him closer towards him until their crotches were rubbing right against each other, Liam couldn’t hold back the low groan coming from deep in his throat. Their kiss had gotten a lot more frantic, messier and more heated and a little bit desperate. They hadn’t done anything last night of course so Liam wasn’t surprised when he felt the younger boy growing hard against him after only a little bit of snogging on the couch. 

“Li… “ Niall’s breath was going heavy as he mumbled against the older’s lips, spit connecting them and their noses brushing together. “When… when did you… tell them they can come?”

That question almost made Liam laugh a bit because it sounded so desperate, not at all trying to hide what he wanted and the older man squeezed Niall’s hips, his hands having moved underneath the younger’s shirt, stroking his smooth skin. “Hmmm… I said whenever they want to.”

“So… if we… do it really quick?” The younger boy asked in between kissing the brunette impatiently, making him smile against his lips because of how desperate he was, his fingers curled tightly into Liam’s hair, pulling a bit. 

“I think… that’d work.” Liam agreed, not leaving the blonde much time to answer though but immediately sliding his tongue back into the younger’s mouth, feeling him pressing even closer, moaning in between the kisses and making Liam’s stomach growing warm. 

They did it like that for a while, just snogging until their lips were all shiny and wet with their mixed saliva, Niall’s hips unsteadily moving against Liam’s and honestly, they could have probably come like this if they kept pushing and rubbing against each other, but it really wasn’t what Liam wanted right now.

So instead, he made sure to move them, keeping his arms tightly around the blonde, their lips slipping off of each other for a moment though as Liam helped Niall lying down on his back before covering the younger’s body with his own, immediately licking back into his still open mouth, getting another moan out of him. 

The position they were in wasn’t really working as well as before in terms of rubbing off against one another, Liam was lying in between Niall’s spread legs, feeling the younger’s thighs pressing around him and keeping him close, as were his arms holding on so tightly to the brunette as if he thought Liam was going to pull away any second. 

“Daddy… “ As always, the half moaned words immediately went to Liam’s dick, his lips smearing down to the younger’s neck, sucking on an almost faded bruise, both their breathing going really heavy, Niall’s fingernails digging into the older’s skin. 

The first time Niall had called him daddy, it had caused Liam to come out of nowhere. He had never really known that that was something that could turn him on, sure, he liked being the dominant one and he knew that the blonde was really into all of that as well, but it had still been a surprise. They had tried things that Liam had honestly never really thought they would, but that was because Niall always asked for things like Liam holding him down a little bit more firmly, not letting him use his hands and things like that, but the daddy thing was definitely something the brunette had never done with anybody else.

He knew that the nature of their relationship before they had gotten together for real had kinda… lead to that, maybe? But Niall had kept holding onto it and it was honestly the hottest thing ever. Not that they never had really consensual sex without all of the kinks and the dirty talk, but right now though, it was exactly what both of them wanted.

Niall’s moans were increasing as Liam kept sucking bruises onto his pale skin, gently biting down once a while, his tongue soothing over the spots he created. “Tell me what you want, baby.”

“I want… I want _you_ … please, daddy…. _Fuck me_.” The blonde always got this vocal and Liam absolutely loved it. His hands were all up underneath Niall’s shirt by now, having pushed it up to his armpits in between them, the soft material of both their sweatpants keeping their erections trapped and increasing the friction between them even more. 

When Liam was happy with the bruise he had created on the younger’s neck, he slowly lifted his head once more, for a moment just taking the blonde in like that, eyes pressed closed in pressure, his swollen lips slightly parted, face having gone a bit pink in various spots. He was so damn beautiful that it almost brought Liam out of concept for a second, wanting to cover the younger boy’s face in kisses.

Liam didn’t do that though, he just leaned down further, until his lips were brushing Niall’s ear, slowly moving one hand in between them and down Niall’s exposed stomach. “Oh, yeah? How badly do you want it, baby boy? Want me to fuck you hard and fill you all up?”

“Yes… Yes, please… please, just… just touch me and-“ Niall’s voice broke in a moan when Liam’s hand had sneaked its way inside the younger’s sweatpants, just lightly wrapping around the younger’s already rock hard erection, not moving his fist just yet though. 

“So wet already, huh? All for me?” The glide of Liam’s hand across Niall’s length was smooth, the angle wasn’t really the best, but it didn’t keep the blonde from trying to arch his back a bit, Liam’s weight keeping him down though, which caused a whine to erupt from his swollen lips. “Easy, baby. You wanna be good for me, don’t you?”

“Y-Yes… “ Keeping up the slow and lazy jerks, Liam was now mouthing across the younger’s jawline before reaching his lips, not kissing him though, just feeling their breath mix and their noses brushing just barely. “I… I’m sorry.”

“Good boy… “ Liam whispered against the younger’s mouth, moving his hand a bit faster, Niall’s moans causing him to get even harder. It felt so bloody good to make him feel like that, have him wringing underneath him and begging to be touched, for Liam to fuck him, because he wanted him so badly. 

Just because they didn’t actually have all the time in the world right now, Liam decided not to tease the blonde for too long, again kissing down his jawline and neck, then his exposed chest, briefly sucking on his nipples before very slowly starting to completely pull down the younger’s sweatpants and boxer shorts. 

“I… I don’t need a-any prep… “ Niall didn’t whine this time when Liam retracted his hand, halfway sitting up after kissing the boy’s belly button. “Please… please, daddy, j-just-“

“Shhh, baby. Be a good boy and be patient, yeah?” Obviously, as much as Niall was going to beg, Liam would have never ever just fucked him without any prep, or hurt him intentionally. The furthest he had ever gone was holding the blonde’s wrists behind his back or above his head and there usually were bruises on his skin the next day, but Liam would have never done any of that had he not known that the younger boy was into it as well. Or if it would have genuinely hurt him like skipping the prep part would have. “C’mon, lift your hips a bit, love.”

Niall still had his eyes pressed closed, one hand gripping tightly behind himself, holding onto the armrest of the couch, the other one just resting on his chest, which was moving rapidly as he struggled to breathe through his nose, biting his bottom lip so hard that Liam was sure he was going to draw blood. 

The blonde did what he had been told though because he always did, allowing Liam to half undress him, his leaking erection hitting his stomach and causing Niall to hiss. Without really thinking about it, Liam just leaned down again, now wrapping his hand around the blonde without those stupid pants holding him back, barely even leaving him any time to prepare himself before he had already taken the younger boy into his mouth.

“ _Fuck_ …. _aaah_ … _yeah_ , please… p-please… f-fuck me… “ The fact that Niall always got so into it so easily, that he always got so hard so quickly, really turned Liam on as well. He groaned around the younger’s cock inside his mouth, not taking him in fully but rather keeping his fist around the base as he sucked him off.

Liam was so painfully hard that he simply couldn’t wait any longer, briefly pulling off of the blonde just to make sure to wet the fingers of his free hand with enough spit as to not hurt Niall before going right back to blowing him, rubbing two fingers against his entrance.

There wasn’t much space on the couch and the position Liam was in was highly uncomfortable, but he barely noticed with Niall’s moans and whines causing goosebumps to rise all over his body while he fingered him open. Now Liam did regret not having put lube into places in the apartment where they sometimes fucked, but the noises coming from the younger boy sounded far from pain and the fact that he begged Liam to add more fingers clearly was a sign that he could take it. 

When Niall’s moans were getting more desperate and kinda panicky, Liam let his mouth pop off of the blonde’s erection, keeping a tight fist around the base though while he moved three fingers inside the blonde, watching his face, sweat dripping down his temple, hair damp. “You alright, baby?”

“Y-Yes… _oh god_ … “ He was really close to coming, Liam knew because he had seen Niall orgasming often enough and he was almost tempted to just keep going until the blonde couldn’t hold back anymore, even if Niall had actually never come before Liam had told him that he could. Except for when they didn’t have _this_ kind of sex of course.

“You ready, love? Want me to fuck you now?” Honestly, it took every willpower Liam had to pull his fingers out of the blonde, eyes briefly flickering down to see them sliding of the younger’s stretched hole before he quickly focused on the boy’s face again, seeing him nod quite desperately. “Look at me then and tell me.”

Niall had a bit of trouble blinking his eyes open but he still did it of course, his voice really rough and quiet, having to actually catch his breath in between words as he looked at Liam, cheeks all flushed and pink, bottom lip bitten raw. “Please… please fuck me now… I’m ready, daddy… please… “

Liam couldn’t help but smile at that, slowly letting go of the younger’s length and instead moving above him once more, not fully lying down on top of him though, just brushing some hair out of the blonde’s face before kissing the exposed skin. Sometimes he just wasn’t able to not be soft with this boy, even when he was being dominant like this. “Such a polite boy… you’re my good boy, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yes… yes, L-Li… “ Normally, Liam would have maybe playfully scolded Niall for switching back to calling him by his real name, but the brunette wasn’t really in the mood right now, he was hard and Niall was begging him, so instead of saying something, he simply leaned down to kiss the blonde on the lips once more. 

Needing one hand to support himself, Liam had a bit of trouble getting his sweatpants down enough to cause his erection to spring free, slapping against his stomach. Luckily Niall immediately adjusted, made sure to spread his legs as far as possible, whining against the older’s lips when he started pushing into him, going slowly even though he was about to completely lose it any second.

Liam could barely thrust in and back out before his mouth had already slipped off of Niall’s, now pressed somewhere against the younger’s cheek while the blonde was moaning right into his ear, hands curled into the brunette’s shirt, so tightly that Liam thought he was going to tear it any second. 

The older man lowered his body back on top of Niall after building up a steady rhythm, breathing heavily against Niall’s skin, one hand pushed into the couch next to his boyfriend’s head in order to support himself, the other one down by the younger’s hips, moving underneath his body to keep him even closer.

“ _H-Harder, daddy_ … “ Niall was being so loud that Liam always had to make sure that they got a huge hotel room each time they went away, just to be sure none of the people he worked with would hear the blonde. Not that the older man didn’t absolutely love the noises he could get out of this boy’s mouth, but still.

Right now though, there was no need at all to be scared about anybody hearing them, so Liam started thrusting harder inside the younger boy, feeling him pressing around his length, all hot and tight and Liam was already so close after just a minute that he had a hard time holding back. “Shit, Ni… you’re so fuckin’ tight… so good… j-just for me, yeah? Just for your daddy?”

“Y-Yes... _oh god_ … _please, aaahh_ … I c-can’t… “ Niall’s legs were dropping more open the deeper and harder Liam thrust into him, giving the older man more space but at the same time holding onto him so tightly that he had a hard time moving at all. Fuck, it was so hot, to know how much Niall wanted him, hear him begging like this and whining and moaning into Liam’s ear.

There was sweat dripping down the side of Liam’s forehead as he pressed his mouth against Niall’s cheek, feeling the tiny bit of stubble there, brushing against his lips as he whispered against the younger’s skin, taking all of his will power to form a clear sentence. “Go on, then… c’mon… show me how good I’m making you feel. Let me hear it, baby.”

As a result to that, Niall was moaning even louder if any possible and Liam slightly changed the angle, knowing when he was hitting the right stop because Niall was practically wailing, one leg wrapping around the back of Liam’s to get him to thrust in even deeper.

It was more than Liam could take, feeling the blonde squeezing around him all hotly, his fingers pulling on Liam’s hair and the sounds of pleasure right by his ear. Normally, Liam would have held back, would have tried to drag it out for as long as possible, make the younger boy wait for it as well by slowing down, but today, he really didn’t feel like that at all. “Baby… you can come… _fuck_ … g-go on… “

It took a few more thrusts, Liam’s cock pressing right up against Niall’s prostate before the blonde let out half a scream and Liam could feel his erection twitching against his own stomach as it was trapped between their bodies when Niall came, squeezing so tightly around Liam that the older man couldn’t have held back even if he had wanted to.

He tried to make it last as long as possible, his thrusts getting uncoordinated and desperate as he worked them both through their orgasms. The thought of pumping Niall full of his jizz, sort of marking him up as his made all of it even better, was maybe why Liam had stopped using condoms before they had even gotten together.

Their breathing was going really heavy as they both tried to calm down afterwards, Liam’s thrusts slowing to a stop as he felt his cock softening, sort of wanting to lie down on top of his boyfriend but then instead forcing himself to lift his head a little bit, until they could look at each other.

“I love you… “ Was everything Liam blurted out with without even thinking about it, brushing Niall’s sweaty hair out of his forehead , returning the younger’s sleepy smile. 

“I love you too… “ Niall whispered, his voice sounding a bit rough, but he looked so freaking good like this, eyes struggling to stay open, pink patches covering his face, his lips all swollen and bitten raw. Liam could have looked at him for the rest of his life. 

Instead of immediately kissing him, the older man just stared for a while, looking into Niall’s piercing blue eyes while brushing the back of his fingers down the blonde’s cheek as they both tried to calm down a bit, regulate their breathing. And then, just because, Liam leaned down to kiss Niall’s cheek, and then his nose and his forehead, the corner of his mouth, his chin and jawline, until the younger boy was literally giggling underneath him, filling Liam’s stomach with warmth before he covered Niall’s mouth with his own.

He couldn’t have imagined anything better than being allowed to call this boy his. 

 

\-----------------------

 

“So… what’s going on with your dad?” Louis had somehow thought it would be a really good idea to offer his help while Liam was preparing the food even though in reality, he was just leaning against the counter, not even attempting to actually move his hands. 

“What would be going on with him?” Liam was just slightly annoyed as he tried to open a package, kinda regretting now that he had told Niall he should just stay on the couch with Harry and play video games, pretty damn loudly as well. It was obvious that Louis had offered to help just to interrogate Liam, lowering his voice as well so the other two wouldn’t hear anything because they were only a few meters away. Well, not like they could have heard anything over how loud the TV was.

“Well, he was really awkward during the meeting we had, also, since when does he need a bodyguard standing outside his office?” This conversation was the very last thing Liam wanted to have right now, he had ignored yet another call from his father before Harry and Louis had shown up, when Niall had been in the shower after they had finally convinced themselves to get up off the couch. “Also, you’ve been in his office for like 10 hours yesterday.”

“Lou, why do you think that this is something I need to tell you?” The brunette didn’t wanna be rude, but he was about to just order some food because he was having such a hard time opening that package and then having Louis trying to get him to tell him what was going on when Liam couldn’t have told him right now, even if he had wanted to.

“Umm, I don’t know, ‘cos you’re my best friend?” That was the one reason why Liam sometimes questioned whether it was such a good idea to be working with Louis, like, on the same floor, in the same department and everything. Because there were actually a ton of things he couldn’t tell his best friend because he was literally his boss, and it got even weirder when it was actually about Liam’s dad. 

“If it was something important I would tell you, okay? We just… had something to discuss. It’s… a private matter.” That was only half a lie after all.

“Then what about the bodyguard?” Liam finally got the packaging open as Louis asked, trying to resist to roll his eyes at the slightly older man. 

“I don’t know, okay?” _That_ was a lie, but Liam needed to switch the topic as soon as possible, get Louis to forget about it so he wouldn’t like, start talking about it at work or something. “Look, it’s nothing important, you wouldn’t even care about it if I told you.”

“Is it about Niall?” Okay, that had been slightly unexpected, but Liam just continued making the food, trying not to let himself get distracted because Harry and Niall could have come over literally any moment.

“Why would it be about him?” As if Liam would actually talk to his parents about his boyfriend, they knew they were dating, they had played golf with Liam’s dad a couple of times and one time went out for dinner, but that had literally been it.

“I don’t know… I just thought about how your dad once thought relationships are a waste of time and that you should focus more on work.” Louis shrugged, but Liam could only see it from the corner of his eyes before he sighed, going over to get something from the fridge before answering.

“It’s not about Niall. My parents like him, both of them.” Well, as far as Liam could tell because they had never said anything regarding that, but… okay, maybe the brunette had told Niall a few times that they had indeed said that they liked him, just to make him feel more comfortable. Deep down though, he sometimes wasn’t sure if they even liked Liam himself, or anyone, for that matter.

“Right, because he can golf.” The older man laughed a bit and Liam was so done with this conversation that he considered ignoring Louis, or calling out for Niall to come and help him so they’d be forced to stop talking. When Louis continued though, Liam felt slightly bad for having considered it. “Seriously though, I was just worried, is all. You can talk to me, you know? If you want to, I mean, I’m here for you, man.”

“Thanks, Tommo. But everything’s fine, I promise.” Just because, Liam made sure to throw his friend a quick smile before deciding that now was the perfect time to switch the bloody topic. “So, how are things with you and Harry going?”

“Really good. He’s been nagging me on the way here though, about my place not being as nice as yours, so I might reconsider.” That had obviously been a joke, Liam just rolled his eyes while the older man chuckled. “When are you gonna ask Niall to fully move in with you?”

“I told him he can if he wants to, he has a key, he has almost all of his stuff here, so… there’s no real reason to ask. It’s just kinda impractical if he has an exam or an 8 am class.” Those were the nights Liam hated the very most, when he didn’t have Niall with him in bed because he had gotten so used to it, he sometimes couldn’t fall asleep without him anymore. Once the blonde was done with uni though, Liam was pretty sure that he wouldn’t have to ask the younger boy to give up his dorm. “Are you asking because you plan on asking Harry to move in with _you_?”

“Well… not really. I mean… we _are_ exclusive, but… we’re not like you and Niall. I mean, you’re practically already a married couple.” Though Liam rolled his eyes, he couldn’t hide his smile either, because… well, he liked hearing that it was obvious that him and Niall were together and in love. “Maybe in a few years or something… ‘m not like you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Liam knew that Louis was just trying to tease him, he was laughing at the younger man and Liam pretended to be slightly pissed off when in reality, he didn’t at all mind that his and Louis’ places weren’t switched right now. 

“Nothing, just… you guys really did go in head over heels. Not that it’s a bad thing.” It was true anyways, they had taken things quite quickly, which had been Liam’s fault, but then again, they had also kinda started their relationship off backwards, and how had the brunette been supposed to know that he was going to fall deeply in love with this boy? “I’m glad you got Niall, he’s like, the only normal person you’ve ever dated.”

“Thanks so much, Lou. You’re only saying that because you wouldn’t have ever met Harry if it weren’t for Niall.” Also if it weren’t for Niall’s terrible luck, Liam was still amused by the whole story back then, how everything had come out after Niall had been trying to keep it all a secret from Harry. Sure, Liam had felt bad for him, but things had turned out quite good, hadn’t they? 

“I mean… a little bit, yeah. But hey, I really like Niall as a person as well.” Liam rolled his eyes a little bit before deciding that they had definitely been talking about this way too long and that Louis could have actually helped him making the food because he knew that Niall had been hungry even before Harry and Louis had shown up.

“Here, you can start chopping that, alright? And don’t cut your fingers or something and get blood all over it.” Liam handed a knife to Louis, which the other man took rather hesitantly. 

“Can’t you just say that you’re worried about me?” He mumbled, clearly not wanting to do this but Liam honestly didn’t care, he could have really needed some help and yeah he would have rather liked Niall to do it because for some reason, he really liked cooking with the blonde. Niall really needed some time with his best friend though and maybe Liam did too, or he would have, had Louis not started talking about his dad.

They did work quite well together for a while though, even though Louis was doing everything wrong and even though he kept talking about things Liam could have lived without knowing, for example his and Harry’s sex life. Which was why Liam was more than just happy when he suddenly felt arms wrapping around him from behind, not even having paid any attention to his surroundings anymore. 

“Hey… do you need any help?” Niall’s voice was numbed by Liam’s shirt, he had his face pressed into the brunette’s shoulder, hugging him tightly from behind and warming up his back. 

“No, we’re good, thanks, baby. Did you beat Harry?” Liam smiled when he heard a snort from behind, probably coming from Harry, and Niall’s laugh. 

“’course I did. I always do.” The blonde sounded really proud of himself and Liam briefly grabbed a hold of his hand on his stomach, thumb brushing over the back.

“Yeah, but only because I can’t afford a PS4 and Liam bought you one.” Very true, actually, but Liam had kinda bought it for the both of them. Niall was always so damn grateful whenever Liam bought him anything and he always pretended like he didn’t want anything, but the look on his face always said something completely different. Liam still gave Niall money even though of course he knew that the blonde was with him because he WANTED to be with him but… the brunette knew that the younger boy didn’t really have a lot of money, especially now that he didn’t work at the golf center very often anymore, which was Liam’s fault, so that really was the least thing Liam could do.

Well, and he would have done it anyways because Niall was his boy and Liam wanted to spoil him rotten. 

“I’m just better than you, Haz, you gotta face it at some point, you know.” The blonde seemed really happy and giggly and it immediately cheered Liam up as well, almost burning himself though because he could barely concentrate on anything else except for his boyfriend. “Hey, Lou, do you want me to take over and do that instead?”

“Well, if you want to, go ahead.” Louis immediately stepped back to let Niall take over and though Liam was a little bit sad about Niall letting go of him, he was also really glad that he could look at him now. 

“Since when can you even cook, Nialler?” Harry asked from behind, he was sitting on the counter, Liam could tell but he purposely did not turn around because no doubt Louis had gone over to him and was doing… whatever. “Or were you always able to cook and you just told me you couldn’t because you didn’t want to?”

“We don’t even have a kitchen, so why would I have been lying?” That only made Liam’s stomach flutter even more, because he knew Niall had only started cooking so he could have food ready for when Liam came home at night. Something he would have never ever asked for of course. 

They kept their banter up a bit longer and though Liam simply stuck to listening and trying to concentrate on the food, he couldn’t help thinking that this was really nice. Sure, he would have also really enjoyed having Niall all to himself, but he would get him all to himself tonight and also all of tomorrow. Besides, it’s not like the blonde was particularly shy about touching and kissing Liam in front of the other two, he had been at first, terribly much actually, but the fact that he had grown so comfortable with all of this, making it seem so natural, really made the brunette proud. 

The food was good and luckily Louis didn’t bring up any of the previous topics while they were eating, they just talked about normal things, Niall and Harry had a bit of a discussion about that essay and one of their classes, but all in all, they were having a good time. 

So when Niall wanted to stay afterwards and help Liam cleaning the dishes, the brunette made sure to send him off with a kiss, telling him to just go join Harry and Louis on the couch, that he would be there in just a little bit. The blonde pouted a little bit, but he did go in the end, not before kissing Liam again, deeper than the brunette would have expected. 

Of course it took way longer all by himself, but it was fine and Liam made sure to hurry up so he could go join the others again. They were all just playing PS4 again and Niall had actually taken the whole couch all to himself, he was lying on his back, head on a throw pillow, while Harry and Louis had to share the much smaller couch. Not that they seemed to mind. 

“… never gonna beat me anyways, just keep trying. Oh.” Niall immediately stopped the game when he noticed Liam coming over, under the protest of the other two, but it didn’t seem to bother him in any way as he immediately sat up halfway to make space for Liam. “I saved you a spot.”

“More like, the whole couch.” Liam laughed, purposely ignoring Harry and Louis because he knew they were rolling their eyes right now, instead simply sitting down, putting the pillow onto his lap that Niall had been using and waiting for the blonde to lie back down with his head in Liam’s lap. 

“Do you wanna play too? We can start over?” The younger boy offered and Liam almost agreed, just to spite Louis, who seemed like he would have actually killed Niall had he simply restarted the game.

“Nah, it’s fine, I’m fine with watching.” Especially when Niall was kicking everyone’s ass, not that it was anything serious, like, it was literally just a game and Liam had no reason at all to actually be proud of Niall because he was so talented, but… somehow he was?

Niall really was good at this, even with Liam distracting him a tiny bit as they continued the game, playing with the younger’s hair and his ear, stroking his soft skin, barely even noticing anymore what he was doing because he was so used to touching the blonde whenever they were this close. Or actually, when weren’t they this close? 

Moments like these, Liam really did notice what it was that he had been missing out on for so long. Through Niall, he had really started to appreciate a normal lifestyle again, like… it’s not like Liam was completely obsessed with money and work, but there had been times in his life when that had seemed like the single most important thing. Also, because of his relationships always ending so badly, he had gotten even more into that mindset, so when he had started thinking about simply _paying_ someone to keep him company and take his mind off a bit, he really had not had something like this in mind.

Which was a good thing because had Liam been trying to look for a relationship like this, he would have surely never found it. 

“HA! You guys are so bad at this, seriously.” Niall was bragging like crazy once he had won and Liam had to bite back a smile as he looked over to Harry and Louis, who were so clearly trying to keep on pretending as if they didn’t care at all, when reality was, they seemed to be rather upset. 

“It’s just a game, Nialler, you’ve probably been playing it all day long.” Harry tried to argue, but the blonde just shrugged, suddenly grinning up at Liam and before the older man could even do as much as smile at him, the younger’s hand was cupping the back of his head, pulling him down until their lips met. “Guys… seriously?”

Okay, maybe this was not the right time or place, but Liam almost immediately blocked the other two out as soon as he felt Niall’s lips parting and his tongue darting out against his own, barely even hearing the complaints coming from their right. Whatever, this was Liam’s apartment, he could snog his boyfriend if he wanted to. 

For a moment, Liam almost thought Harry and Louis were going to just leave, but they just cleared their throats a few times and Liam had to promptly pull away from Niall in surprise when one of them had thrown a pillow at his head. Louis, without a doubt. 

“Can you maybe save that for when we leave?” The oldest asked, sounding half amused and half disgusted and Liam rolled his eyes at him, kinda feeling his cheek having turned a little bit hotter though and seeing that the blonde was indeed blushed as well, but he had gotten really good at overplaying it.

“Jealous?” Was all he asked as he sat up only to curl into Liam’s side and the older man’s arms automatically wrapped around the blonde, holding him closer when Niall pushed his face into his shoulder, pressing a kiss there as well.

“’m definitely _not_ jealous about you basically turning into a kitten whenever Liam is around.” Of course Louis was trying to tease the blonde, but Liam couldn’t help but think that it was kinda true. Niall always seemed to get extremely snuggly and needy whenever they weren’t alone, so considering the fact that he already was very touchy whenever they _were_ alone, that really said something. “So, you up for a revenge, or…?”

Niall seemed to hesitate for a moment, looking at Liam and the older man almost hoped that he would say no, not at all disappointed though when Niall stretched a bit to kiss his cheek before taking the controller with a grin, staying snuggled into Liam’s side though. “Sure.” 

Today was definitely a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyy guys :D
> 
> thank you so much yet again for all the lovely feedback <3 sorry that this chapter is a few minutes late, i didnt look at the time!!!
> 
> hope you all like liams pov and i hope it was clear that a few months have passed since the last chapter, i thought about indicating it at the beginning but then chose not to! 
> 
> let me know what you thought <33


	12. Chapter 12

“God, I’m so bored… “ Louis had been complaining for like 15 minutes straight by now. He was spinning around in the chair across from Liam’s desk while the older man tried his very best to ignore him, but that was easier said than done. “Honestly, Payno, as your friend I think I’m allowed to tell you that you’re really fuckin’ strange for working in your lunch break.”

“It’s _your_ lunch break, not mine.” Liam was saving his for when Niall came in a bit. He hadn’t been to Liam’s office a lot but often enough so he would find here by himself and knew who to talk to and what to say if anybody asked. “Am I really the only person working here that you wanna annoy?”

“Everybody else hates me because you’re my best friend, you know that.” It was a joke, at least a little bit, but Liam just rolled his eyes anyways, having to delete the last sentence he had written because he had realized that it didn’t even make any sense. Great, he was never going to get this done. “You could at least pretend to listen to my problems, you know.”

“I _am_ listening, Lou.” Not like Liam had a choice, his office was quite big but if Louis had gotten up and started touching and looking at things, the younger man would have been even more distracted than he was right now. “I just really have to get this done, okay?”

“Why? You can do it in like, 30 minutes when I have to leave.” Well, normally Liam would have, but not today and sadly, Louis only needed half a minute to figure it out, immediately stopping the chair. “Oh my god, don’t tell me Niall’s coming to visit _again_?”

“He’s only been here a few times and anyways, the last time was three weeks ago.” Liam knew he didn’t have to defend himself but he couldn’t help it, immediately regretting it when his friend simply started to laugh. “Oh, shut up, Tommo.”

“I haven’t even said anything.” He was grinning, Liam didn’t have to move his eyes off of his computer screen to know that, trying not to blush or anything. It’s not like he wasn’t allowed to bring Niall here, or as if no one was allowed to know, quite the opposite actually, Liam kinda liked knowing that everybody knew that this boy was his alone. “Do you have like, really kinky office sex in here?”

“Louis.” Liam warned, indeed trying not to get nervous, because… obviously they _had_ had sex in here. More than once and also… their sex was usually kinky as well, but there was absolutely no need for anybody to ever find out about that. 

“What? I was just asking. I can imagine you guys being into that, I mean, considering you’ve been paying him to have sex with you and the fact that you are still kinda his sugar daddy and-“

“Do you want me to call security?” For a second, Liam actually considered it, throwing a glare at his best friend when he just threw his head back laughing, starting to spin in the damn chair again. There were times when Liam was really relieved that he always had Louis with him in the same building during work, but today was definitely not one of those times. 

“I mean, you can try to call them but they’re all up guarding the floor your dad’s on, so… “ God, had he still not forgotten about it? Only a few days had passed since they had been talking about this in Liam’s kitchen, but still, the brunette would have thought that Louis would have decided to let it go by now.

“That’s not even true.” Liam tried to talk himself out of it, hating that the mood seemed to have shifted to more serious even though that was probably his own fault. “Look, there’s nothing going on with my dad that you would have to worry about.”

“I know, it’s not your dad I’m worried about, it’s you.” Great.

“I’m fine.” At least that was the truth, Liam was more than just fine, especially because he knew that Niall would soon be here and even though he had of course seen the boy this morning waking up in the same bed, he still couldn’t bloody wait. “It has nothing to do with me.”

“Then why have you been in his office this morning? For three hours?” God, how had Louis even found out about that?! It was _definitely_ not true that no one here liked him because of his friendship with Liam. 

“We had something to discuss?” The truth, again, Liam managed to keep his facial expressions under control for now, trying to focus on what he was writing even though it had gotten quite pointless anyways. 

“Like what?” The other man kept pushing and really, there was no way for Liam to know whether Louis was genuinely worried about him or just curious, so he decided to say something that would cover both, just in case.

“If you really have to know… Niall’s coming because I’m taking him with me, I’ve got a photoshoot later and I’ve had a meeting with my dad and the editor of the magazine it’s for.” Also true, even though that only taken up 1/3 of the time Louis had been referring to, but it seemed to have done the trick anyways. 

“They allow your groupies to be on the set?” Louis immediately started to tease, raising his eyebrows when Liam briefly looked at him, suppressing a sigh.

“Do you also want to come?” He offered jokingly, for a second afraid though that Louis might have actually agreed, but he just started to laugh a bit as he leaned back, stuffing the rest of his lunch into his mouth, not even bothering to swallow though before he talked.

“No, thanks, Niall would probably kill me if I blocked his sight on you.” The thing was, maybe he would have and though Liam knew that it was inappropriate, he couldn’t help but smile just a little bit at the thought. He had taken Niall to a few photoshoots, he had only started doing that because the golf photoshoot had indeed happened and the blonde had been really excited. Since then though, the brunette had decided that he really, really liked having his boyfriend there, looking at him as if he had put all the stars in the sky and afterwards being all touchy-feely. Not that he wasn’t usually, but having him there really made work a lot easier. 

Louis kept rambling on for the rest of his lunch break, at one point getting up and almost ruining one of the plants Liam had in his office but the other man just bit his lip without saying anything to him. Even if he acted really annoyed and kinda bothered, he actually didn’t mind Louis being here all that much, especially whenever he stopped talking for a bit to play on his phone, it was kinda nice to have some company for a bit. The other man probably knew that as well, so that was probably why he came to hang out at every chance he got. 

Once Louis had left, Liam tried to get some more work done, tried to at least do the absolute minimum for the day because he wasn’t really sure if he’d feel like coming back to the office once the photoshoot was over. Especially because Niall would have just been hanging out at his apartment all by himself, waiting for Liam to come home. 

Though Liam knew exactly that it wasn’t helping, he kept glancing at his phone, reading the text message updates his boyfriend randomly sent him. Just telling him things and sending him pictures and even though Liam didn’t answer very frequently, that didn’t seem to discourage the blonde in any way. He always did that, he even texted Liam in his classes and lectures and the brunette wasn’t very sure what to think about that, but Niall was getting really good grades, so… 

At about 5 pm, when Liam still hadn’t really finished his work for the day, he _finally_ received the text he had been waiting for, forgetting about the sentence he had been writing embarrassingly fast. 

 

_From Niall 5:04 pm  
im in the elevator now, I saw louis & he tried to jokingly call security on me_

 

Liam might have gotten mad at his friend for that, but everyone important already knew Niall anyways and it’s not like he was just wandering around here, there was always someone who brought him all the way to Liam’s office, because it was protocol but also because Liam made sure that they did. 

There was no need at all to type back, four minutes later Liam heard a very sharp knock on the door, follow by the numbed voice of one of the women that worked down by the entrance. “Mr. Payne, Mr. Horan is here.”

Embarrassingly enough, Liam had already gotten up, so when he opened the door a little bit too quickly, the woman’s eyes widened a bit in shock as she quickly stepped back. “Thanks.” 

Honestly, the second Liam had seen Niall, he couldn’t really focus on anything else anymore, opening the door a bit wider to let the grinning boy enter before very quickly closing it again, pulling his boyfriend closer without even fully having had a chance to say hello. 

“Li-“ Niall giggled against the older man’s lips, being cut off though when Liam kissed him again, harder this time, crowding him against the wall, not caring if anybody outside might have possibly noticed. 

“I missed you...” Liam mumbled without thinking, his forehead knocking against Niall’s as he briefly pulled away, tasting the younger boy in his mouth, their lips still brushing, Niall’s arms wrapped around his neck, playing with the hair in the nap of his neck.

“I missed you too… “ The younger boy half whispered back, his body curving into the older man’s as Liam tightened his arm around Niall’s waist, the younger’s backpack that he was still carrying kinda limiting the space. 

They kissed again, softer this time and more gentle now that the edge had been taken off a little bit and when they pulled apart once more, Liam carried on kissing Niall’s cheek and then his forehead and temple, letting his nose brush against the younger’s skin, quietly breathing him in. God, he really _had_ missed this boy. 

“Hi.” Niall finally brought out when Liam leaned his head back just to look at his boyfriend, returning his smile. 

“Hi…. Everything okay?” It didn’t seem like anything was wrong, plus Niall would have probably texted Liam in case in anything had happened, but just to be sure. 

“I’m good. Really good, actually, now that I’m here.” The younger’s fingers in Liam’s hair were quite distracting, even more so when he moved on to play with the older’s ear and then suddenly rubbing his thumb across Liam’s cheek. “You?”

“I’m really good too.” Liam grinned before kissing the boy again, not being able to believe that he had honestly survived so many hours in anticipation of getting to do all of this. 

After they pulled apart again, Niall’s lips were a little bit shiny and Liam would have loved to keep on snogging a bit longer but the blonde announced that he really needed to take off his jacket and his backpack or he would die of a heat stroke.

So instead of kissing him again, Liam instead pulled the boy with him behind his desk, loving the fact that Niall seemed to automatically sit on his lap, his hands immediately moving over Liam’s arms wrapped tightly around his stomach. “Did you already get everything done?”

“Well… not really.” Liam kissed the back of Niall’s head in front of him and then his shoulder before resting his chin on top of it, pulling the blonde back more snugly against him. “How was uni?”

“Fine… I told Harry about your photoshoot, I hope you don’t mind.” The younger boy didn’t at all sound apologetic and Liam couldn’t help but laugh, turning his head so that he could rest his cheek against the blonde instead, letting his eyes fall closed for a moment. “I mean, it’s not like I wanted to brag, you know, but he kept telling me about this stupid date Louis took him on and he wouldn’t shut up about it, so… “

“Do you wanna go on a date?” Liam bluntly asked without thinking about it, because he was just in that kinda mood. Not that they had never been on a date before, obviously, because they had also been in different countries together, but lately there hadn’t been all too much time for those kinda things. “I don’t have to come back here after the shoot, we can do whatever you want.”

“I… really?” The blonde seemed very surprised and one hand that made Liam kinda sad because he didn’t want his boyfriend to think that he had no time for him, but he also seemed very happy so that was a good thing.

“Of course, babe.” Honestly, Liam knew that he should have still been working right now and also afterwards, but the truth was… ever since he had met Niall, his career had suddenly become a whole lot less important. Of course Liam wouldn’t let it get so far that anybody would notice, but his dad probably wouldn’t have noticed anyways. Not with what was going on right now. “So, where’d you wanna go?”

“Hmmm… I don’t know, surprise me.” Niall’s mood seemed to have been lifted incredibly, he kinda forced Liam to lift his head by half lying down on him, resting his own head against the older’s shoulder.

“Careful, I might take you to the private jet and kidnap you or something.” Actually, it was a good thing that Niall was so against skipping uni because Liam just knew that he would have been way too tempted to constantly take him on trips otherwise. That was one thing that was different to his previous relationships, with Niall, Liam knew that he didn’t have to impress the blonde. 

“You know… maybe if you let me take pictures during your photoshoot this time then I would even consider not suing you for kidnapping me.” Right, that was one thing Niall was still pouting about, that he didn’t get to show off with the pictures of Liam and though the brunette never really found them that great, he was still incredibly fluttered. 

“You know I can’t let you do that, Ni, they’d make you delete them anyways.” Turing his head, Liam kissed the side of Niall’s, and then his ear as well, and his cheek, just because he could. 

“Ugh.” Was all the blonde made, becoming a bit heavier in the older’s lap as he snuggled more into him and Liam made sure to hold him a little bit tighter. 

They just sat like this for a while and Liam was pretty sure the younger’s eyes had fallen closed but he didn’t at all mind, he just kept on holding him, moving the spinning chair a little bit, his thoughts kinda drifting off for a few minutes. He should have probably been writing right now, at least finish what he had started but… whatever, he could as well have done it tomorrow. 

Maybe it was because they hadn’t been talking and the fact that Niall seemed to almost have slept in, that neither of them were quick enough to move when there was a very sharp knock on the door, only a second before it was already opened quite energetically. “Liam, it’s-… time.”

It was Liam’s dad, something the older man should have been expecting, but he hadn’t, his heart skipping three beats as Niall almost _jumped_ out of his lap, trying to somehow straighten out his clothes even though there was no need to. For a moment, it almost seemed like the old Niall was back, the one who choked on every second word. “Hi-… hello, Mr. Payne, I… “

There was no real reaction from Liam’s father whatsoever, he just nodded at Niall, the only thing indicating that he had even seen what they had been doing being the fact that he had interrupted himself before. “I’ll be waiting outside.”

“Right… “ Liam mumbled as he slowly got up off his chair as well, waiting for the door to close before trying to pull the blonde back into his embrace, not surprised when he resisted. 

“Don’t, what if he comes back?!” Niall seemed kinda panicked and though Liam had been really surprised for a moment as well, his boyfriend’s reaction was making him laugh. 

“So what? He knows we’re together, baby.” Kissing Niall’s forehead briefly, Liam made sure to turn his computer off and take his phone before intertwining his fingers with the blonde’s. “C’mon, we gotta get going.”

“You… didn’t tell me your dad’s coming?” Though it came out very careful, Liam could tell that the blonde was slightly upset by that and even though he shouldn’t have been surprised at all, he kinda felt really good about Niall wanting to have him all to himself so badly.

“He’s not, he just wanted to make sure that I won’t be late, I guess. Also, he probably wanted to discuss something.” But he hadn’t had a chance to, because Niall had been here, thankfully. 

“Oh… sorry, should I like… wait in the car or so?” The blonde offered while Liam helped him putting on his jacket, slinging the younger’s backpack over one shoulder so he wouldn’t have to carry it.

“No, it’s fine, it was probably nothing.” That wasn’t a real lie, was it? 

Niall seemed to be satisfied with that answer, he tried to take his backpack from the older man, but only laughed when Liam didn’t allow him to take it, instead intertwining their fingers again because he kinda liked everyone being able to see that this boy was his. Yes, even the people he worked with. 

As expected, Liam’s dad was waiting outside Liam’s office and by the look on his face Liam could tell that Niall’s presence was most inconvenient for him, but honestly, the brunette couldn’t have cared less. So instead of having yet another useless discussion, his dad just randomly reminded him about a meeting tomorrow, and then wished him good look for the shoot before simply walking off, having made the whole floor go silent of course. 

“That was… weird.” Niall concluded afterwards, whispering because no had dared to start talking again just yet and Liam was aware of people looking at them when they went for the elevators. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“Of course, don’t worry about it, yeah?” Liam made sure to smile at the blonde, kissing him the second the elevator doors had closed behind them, not wanting to think about anything right except for where he would be taking the younger boy after this was over.

 

\--------------------

 

Liam had a really, really hard time concentrating on the photoshoot when Niall was watching and though everyone was way too polite to point it out, he was pretty sure that they could tell and probably hated him for having brought his boyfriend to the set. Not like Liam cared, he was only doing these shoots for fun anyways, and sometimes because his father wanted him to, so he really wouldn’t have cared had they thrown him out and never asked to come back in. 

A while back, Liam had done a photoshoot which had been very revealing, so he was quite happy that that definitely wasn’t the case today because the blonde seemed to be way too eager to get a better look at him during this one as well, half throwing himself at the brunette during his break. “You’re so bloody hot, Liam, everyone’s probably looking at me thinking I’m your assistant or something.”

“Oh, shut up, babe.” Liam rolled his eyes at that, knowing that even though Niall had been trying to be funny, there was some truth in his words. “You know that’s not true at all. Besides, I look really stupid in these clothes.”

“No, you definitely look anything besides stupid, Li.” He sounded very serious, but he smiled before kissing the older man on the lips, arms wrapped tightly around his neck while everyone around them was busy doing whatever. “You’re so hot.”

“Shush.” Was all Liam said before kissing Niall once more, longer this time and he could have gotten lost in the kiss had there not been about 50 people who worked here running around them. “Have you thought about where you wanna go when I’m done here?”

“I’m still trying to think of something. But you know, if everything fails you can just take me home and we… do whatever.” The blonde winked at Liam and the older man chuckled, brushing some hair out of the blonde’s forehead, his free hand resting against his narrow hip, keeping him close. 

“But that wouldn’t be a very good date, would it?” Well, it would have been a really good end to a date though.

“No, but I’ve secretly taken like three pictures of you so I’ve got enough bragging material.” That answer surprised Liam for just a second before he had to laugh, pecking Niall’s lips again.

“Oh, yeah? So you’re only dating me so you can brag about it to Harry? I see how it is, babe.” Niall had only been kidding of course, because Liam knew for a fact that the blonde was still really excited to go on a date with him, he had actually been talking about nothing else in the car on the way here. 

“Yeah… sorry that you have to find out this way, but… “ He shrugged, grinning up at the older man though, his fingers were playing with the brunette’s hair, probably messing it up but who cared, they’d probably have to touch it up anyways.

Before Liam could think of a good comeback, he was already called back by the photographer, resisting the urge to roll his eyes and instead briefly kissing Niall again before pulling away. “Think about where you wanna go, okay? And no more sneaky pictures, that’s very illegal.”

“Sue me then.” The blonde answered, honestly sticking his tongue out to Liam as he walked away backwards, not being able to believe just how cute this boy was. 

They were there for good another hour and by the end of it, even Niall had gotten tired, he was just sitting on top of a table, watching, having given up on the pictures, probably because somebody had noticed. Well, even if they had, they had probably not said anything to the blonde because he was _very_ proud about showing Liam his new phone background once they were back in the car. 

“How did you manage to do that?” Liam was kinda impressed by the blonde being so sneaky, but the younger boy just shrugged before putting his seatbelt on with a grin. Thank god they had come with Liam’s car and thank god he had already brought his normal clothes because having had to go get his car and then go home and change would have seemed like a complete torture. 

“I’m very talented. So, where are we going?” Of course Niall hadn’t thought of a place, he almost never did and that was because Liam knew he didn’t want to accidentally pick anything expensive. Not that he didn’t let Liam pay for him, but he also didn’t seem to particularly enjoy it.

“Well, since I knew you probably wouldn’t pick anything, like always” Liam interrupted himself just to look at Niall and see him rolling his eyes before continuing with a smile “I thought we could for once not go on a dinner date and instead I’ll show you my incredible mini golf skills.”

“You wanna go mini golfing? Seriously?” Niall seemed to be highly amused by that, but not at all as if he hated the idea so Liam just started car while the younger boy laughed. “You’ll never beat me.” 

“We’ll see about that, babe.” Seeing Niall grin like this, all cocky and proud because he knew he was the very best at golfing anyways showed Liam that he had definitely made the right choice with where their date would take place. Plus, they had never done anything like this before, so.

“Well, maybe if you kept on practicing a bit more… “ The blonde chuckled when Liam threw a playful glare at him before making sure to focus on the street instead, his hand automatically going over to rest on the younger’s thigh though, immediately feeling Niall covering it with his own before intertwining their fingers just like he always did. “Although… I feel like I’m getting worse, I’ve barely played lately.”

“Do you… do you wanna start working more again?” It felt kinda unsettling for Liam to even think about that, obviously it wasn’t his choice when and how long Niall worked, but he really wouldn’t have wanted to give up his weekends with the blonde. And thankfully, he didn’t seem to be the only one.

“God, no. I love golfing, I also love working at the golf center, but… once a week is more than enough, and I’d rather be with you, so.” Niall shrugged, as if it was obvious and though Liam only saw it from the corners of his eyes, he felt his stomach warming at the reaction, squeezing the younger’s fingers between his. “But you might still wanna consider dropping by some time, refresh your memory and stuff, you know.”

“If you want me to, I can definitely make some time.” Liam hadn’t dropped by recently, since Niall didn’t work anymore on the weekends, but if the blonde really wanted him to come, he would definitely take some time off work for him. There was nothing he wouldn’t have done for this boy, in all honesty, _nothing_. 

“If you want to… haven’t had any good looking customers in a while.” Niall was teasing of course, he chuckled over his own joke and Liam couldn’t have been mad even if he had wanted to.

“Maybe I can send you Louis?” Liam joked, hearing the blonde snorting next to him. “What? He’d probably be better than me anyways, not that that’s very hard, but… “

“Trust me, you’re not the worst at golfing, Li, you haven’t seen Harry, he’s… fucking terrible. But I’ve never told him and I probably never will either.” Somehow Niall sounded not as amused as Liam would have suspected, which probably was because the blonde would have liked a friend to go golfing with, so now he had a best friend AND a boyfriend who fucking sucked. “Anyways… I was thinking that, you know… once we’re done mini golfing and stuff, like… can we maybe, uh… stop by McDonald’s?” 

“You’re so cute, babe.” Why was it so easy and so satisfying to please this boy? By simply taking him to McDonald’s for a date? Liam was so in love. “And of course, we can go wherever you want, I told you. Just let me know if you think of anything else, yeah?”

“Thank you. But I think that’s it… or maybe… maybe we could get some ice cream too?” When Liam looked over as he stopped the car at a red light, his eyes immediately locked with Niall’s, the blonde’s smile very hopeful and it caused Liam’s stomach to turn in a kinda comfortable way.

Instead of answering, he just leaned across the seats to briefly kiss the younger boy on the lips, and then again because the traffic light hadn’t turned green yet and when he pulled away and looked at his boyfriend once more, he couldn’t think of anything else other than how his life couldn’t have gotten any better than this.

 

\------------

 

Liam was lying awake and staring at the ceiling in almost complete darkness, Niall curled up into his side, head on his chest and breathing evenly against his bare chest where his cheek was resting, arm wrapped tightly around the older’s stomach. Their date had gone really, really well, obviously Liam had lost, hadn’t even managed to get the golf ball into the hole just once, much to Niall’s amusement of course.

They had gotten McDonald’s AND ice cream, and though Niall had thought it was a very terrible idea, they had eaten in the car after Liam had convinced the blonde that he wouldn’t care if any of them dropped their food or made a mess or something. When they had gotten home, it had been really late, but not late enough for them to not get something going in the shower, and then again after they had somehow managed to get into bed.

So now it was one in the morning and Niall had been asleep for quite a while, very deeply as well just like always and especially during the week. The reason why Liam couldn’t sleep though the evening and night had gone more than just well and he had been as happy as he could have been, was the fact that he had received a very unsettling text message from his dad.

He knew that he would have to tell Niall eventually, he had thought at first that maybe he wouldn’t have to, that it would somehow, just… resolve itself, but… that didn’t seem to be the case. And the thing was, it wasn’t just a matter of telling his boyfriend something or not telling him, it wasn’t even just a work thing, because actually… it wasn’t a work thing at all.

Liam hadn’t really wanted to believe it at first, he had honestly thought that his father had gone crazy or something. Of course he had been playing it down all the time, assured Liam that nothing was going to happen, but now… Liam wasn’t so sure about that anymore. Maybe he had kinda known about it for a while, or had at least suspected it, but… not like this. Especially because he wouldn’t have thought that his own father would… 

The brunette tried to go to sleep for a while, tried to ignore the weird feeling deep down in his stomach, the feeling that told him that something was possibly going to go very wrong. Obviously, the older man wasn’t uncomfortable at all having Niall here to cuddle with and hold, but he couldn’t help moving once a while and when he felt the blonde stirring in his arms, he maybe wasn’t even surprised.

Stroking the younger’s hair and down his back, trying to make sure he stayed asleep, Liam already felt bad enough for causing Niall to move at all, but of course even more when he heard the younger boy’s very quiet and tired voice. “…Li?”

“Shsh, I’m here, baby… sleep.” Holding him tighter, the older man pressed his face into Niall’s soft hair, breathing him in while still rubbing his back slowly, drawing patterns on his bare skin. 

For a second, Liam almost thought that Niall had indeed simply gone back to sleep, but he moved again, snuggling tighter into the older man, pressing his face deeper into Liam’s neck, his voice sounding more like a whine. “Why are you awake?”

“I just… woke up, don’t worry, love.” Liam whispered back, for a moment actually considering to tell the blonde what was up, but he couldn’t, obviously, not now and not like this. 

“Are you… okay?” Though the blonde sounded as if he was going to fall back asleep any second, he still kept on asking and Liam did appreciate the fact that the blonde seemed to be so concerned that he was fighting sleep just to make sure Liam was alright, but… honestly, the brunette didn’t deserve it.

“I’m okay, baby, don’t worry. Just go back to sleep, okay? I love you.” The brunette half whispered into the younger’s hair, hugging him tighter in hopes of having convinced him to go back to sleep and for a second, Liam almost thought that it had worked. 

Instead of going to sleep though, Niall just lied still for a moment or two, still breathing quite evenly against the older’s skin before all of a sudden trying to sit up and before Liam could stop him or pull him back down against his chest, the blonde had leaned over to the bedside table, having switched on the lights and hurting both their eyes. 

“Ni, what are you doing?” Liam could barely blink against the light, his arm still loosely wrapped around the blonde’s waist, trying to look at him through the pain. “Baby, I promise, I’m fine.”

“Then why are you awake in the middle of the night?” A very good question, Liam hated himself for having woken the blonde on accident, but he did try to prop himself up a bit more properly, kinda getting used to the light and trying to pull the younger boy back in. 

“I was just… thinking. It’s nothing, Nialler.” The blonde looked terribly sleepy and exhausted as he let himself fall back into Liam’s side again, not putting his head down though and instead looking down at the brunette, probably trying to be serious but in reality, he just looked like he might have passed out any second.

“’bout what?” Niall kept on pushing, suddenly reaching out to brush his hand through Liam’s hair, fingers pulling a bit and the older man felt his heart skip a beat, suddenly feeling so terribly guilty that he had to actually look away from his boyfriend. “Li?”

“Look, I… “ Liam started, knowing that he was going to regret this because he already WAS regretting it, but… he didn’t want to lie to Niall, he knew the blonde deserved the truth and the only reason why Liam hadn’t told him yet was because Niall had never explicitly asked or even noticed anything going on. “There’s something… something going on with… with work and my dad and… it’s really complicated.”

“Why?” The blonde’s voice was really soft, he kept on brushing his fingers through Liam’s hair evenly, much like the older man usually did to him and it felt really good right now. Not that it made any of this easier. “Is it… is it something really bad? He’s not… he’s not like… throwing you out or something? Or… or is he sick?”

“No, no, it’s… none of those things, don’t worry. It actually doesn’t even have anything to do with me, only indirectly, but… I was going to tell you, but… I would prefer not to. Just for now, not because I don’t want you to know, but… I don’t want to worry you.” Okay, that had sounded really stupid, right? Liam knew that he would have to eventually get over himself, but if there was something he hated, it was telling Niall something that would worry him. 

“You… you don’t have to tell me if you don’t to, but… I don’t want you to lie awake and worry and feel bad and… I just wanna help.” Right, this was just getting harder, Liam really hated himself for having started this just because he hadn’t been able to lie and yeah, it was nice to know that Niall was there to have his back, that he wanted to help, but… he couldn’t have. In fact if he knew, it would have probably just stressed them both out a lot more. 

“I know, babe… thank you. If you really want to know then I can tell you of course, but… I think it’d be better if I didn’t. Not right now.” Liam finally looked at the blonde again this time, Niall had moved a lot closer, half lying on top of the brunette again, his sleepy expression slowly turning into more concerned instead. “It’s really complicated and… it’s kind of a long story.”

“Okay, but… but if it was really bad and… you would tell me, right? Like… you’re not… keeping it from me because you don’t… you don’t trust me, right?” Oh god, Liam really did not deserve this boy.

“Baby. I’d trust you with anything, okay? Don’t ever doubt that. I just don’t want you to be worried when there’s no reason to be worried, alright? It’s gonna be just fine.” Well, there was no way of knowing that, but Liam was allowed to hope, right? 

“Okay… “ The blonde sighed a bit, but he leaned into Liam’s hand when the older man started stroking his cheek and the hair that was falling into his forehead, all messed up from sleep. “But… if it’s keeping you from sleep though, you should just wake me next time and then I can stay up with you.”

“You really need your sleep though, Nialler. You got classes tomorrow morning and I’m sorry I woke you up.” Liam felt bad for kinda switching the topic, but he really saw no point in keeping on talking about it when he didn’t plan on telling Niall, not right now at least and probably not in the near future because he was still hoping that it would all resolve itself. 

“’s okay… I’d want you to wake me anyways.” Though the blonde still seemed very worried and sleepy at the same time, he gave the older man a smile before leaning down to kiss him, very softly and slowly, causing goosebumps to rise all over Liam’s body. 

It was late and Liam knew they should have tried to go back to sleep, but he really enjoyed kissing his boy like this for now, holding him close, trying to push those worries into the very back of his head and only focus on Niall and nothing else in the world. Everything would be fine, right? For as long as Liam had Niall and kept him safe, everything would be alright.

 

\---------------

 

The next day was really long and terrible. Liam had a ton of work to do and also to catch up on because of last night, which he obviously didn’t mind though because it had been way worth it to spend time with the younger boy instead.

Luckily Niall had fallen asleep rather quickly again after they had had their talk and though Liam had been lying awake a little bit longer, he had eventually drifted off as well, feeling really terrible though when he had woken the blonde in the morning so he could drive him to uni, scattering kisses across his whole face to make it less bad. 

Neither of them had brought up the topic again, Niall had been clingy and cuddly all morning just like he usually was, and he hadn’t wanted to get out of the car and then in the end had been running late because they had been snogging for so long. Still, Liam of course couldn’t keep his mind busy all day long, so he was bound to start worrying, at some point at least. Even more so when the older man received a kind of unsettling text message.

 

_From Harry 5:57 pm  
hey, just wanted to ask if nialls supposed to come over to yours tonight?_

 

Of course that was really weird, weird as hell actually, but Liam texted back immediately of course, making sure to ask if everything was alright because Harry had only texted him once before to let Liam know that Niall had fallen asleep in their dorm when he had told Liam he would sleep at his place. So he wasn’t totally surprised at the answer he received just a few minutes later, he was just really worried all of a sudden. 

 

_From Harry 6:07 pm  
everythings fine… I think. Just, hes been asleep for quite a while and when he came back from his class before he said he was kinda not feeling well. Thought you should know_

 

Right, this was not at all what Liam had been wanting to hear, he had already been worried before when Niall had not texted him back anymore for hours. For a moment Liam had even thought that the younger boy was mad at him or something, because of last night and everything, so it was nice to hear that that was not the case, but… obviously, Liam didn’t want Niall to feel poorly either.

So he sat at work for a while, trying to think about what to do, whether he could just go and postpone work once again and the longer Liam thought about it, the more stupid did he feel for still sitting there in the first place and not already having left.

Obviously, Liam had no idea of really knowing what was wrong with Niall or if he was sick or had just been really tired, but he figured that he would have rather been there to pick the blonde up, make sure he got to his place safely. Who the hell cared if he got all his work done today, right? Not like Liam could have concentrated on anything right now anyways.

The drive was kinda long with traffic and everything, Liam tried to be calm and to not freak out about having to look for a parking spot and then walk like 10 minutes to the campus, relieved that he had been to Niall’s dorm at least a few times or he surely wouldn’t have found it.

Liam had texted Harry to tell him that he was going to come, making sure to knock as quietly as possible because he was pretty sure that his boyfriend was still asleep. 

“Hey.” Harry didn’t at all seem concerned when he opened the door for Liam, he did keep his voice down though, simply letting the older man pass. “He’s been asleep for ages… he’s snoring quite terribly though or I would have checked his pulse.” 

“Umm… he’s not sick, is he? Did he… did he say something?” Okay, there was absolutely no bloody way that Liam would be going back to work again, he knew the second he saw Niall sleeping soundly in his bed, having wrapped himself so tightly into his blanket that the brunette was barely even able to see his face. And yet it caused his heart to skip like twenty beats. 

“Not really. Well… he said he has a bit of a headache or something, but I didn’t keep on asking and he was asleep like five minutes later, so.” Maybe it should have been weird, that Harry was here as well, simply going back to sitting at his desk after closing the door, his back towards the brunette as Liam carefully sat on the edge of Niall’s bed. “I don’t think you would have had to come here instead of work, sorry if I like… worried you or something.”

“No, it’s fine, I was… it’s fine.” Maybe Liam would seem really over protective now and maybe Niall would be laughing at him for immediately having panicked so much, but… did that really matter, honestly? 

Since Harry was typing something on his laptop and not paying any attention to whatever Liam was doing, the brunette felt quite comfortable taking off his jacket and just remaining on the edge of the mattress, watching his boyfriend. At first he tried to tell himself that it was a bad idea to reach out for him and risk waking him, but of course he buckled in at some point, just because he _always_ did. 

The blonde didn’t at all seem bothered by it though, his breath was still going really even and he barely moved, even when Harry spoke up again a few minutes later. “You know this might be a really weird question, but… I can’t really ask anyone else and we only see each other when Niall and Louis are around, so… “

“What… what’s up?” Liam was just slightly confused, not really being able to fully focus on whatever Harry had said because he was so busy stroking Niall’s face.

“It’s just… I was wondering if Louis, like… I mean, I trust him, I really do, and I… I wanna be with him, but I… you know… I just… do you think that… that he actually like… sees a future for… me and him?” Oh.

“I… did you have a fight?” Of course that was Liam’s first thought, now looking up to see that Harry had turned around in his spinning chair, not looking at him though but rather at the wall, a very concentrated expression in his face. 

“No, we didn’t, just… I’ve been in a few relationships that ended really badly and I… I was just wondering what you thought, you know… as Louis’ best friend and all? Because… I mean, it’s different between you and Niall because Louis always tells me how you talk about Niall and I can see the way you look at each other and… it’s just… I was just wondering.” Alright, that was not the conversation Liam had wanted to have like, ever, but… honestly, Louis was his best friend but Harry was _Niall’s_ best friend, so of course he felt bad for the younger boy.

“Look, from what Louis has told me he’s completely serious with you and if you hadn’t just brought it up, I would have never thought that either of you has any worries. Louis’ not the guy to fool around with anyone and I know for a fact that you mean a lot to him, he always talks about you.” He did, not ALL the time, but obviously, they mostly saw each other at work. “Did anything… happen?”

Harry didn’t answer immediately, he just briefly looked at Liam and then away before taking a sharp breath and NOW the brunette was getting really worried, because… what the hell was going on? Had Louis done anything? And was he obliged as Louis’ best friend to tell him about this conversation? “Nothing happened, but… I’ve… I don’t know if I should, like… if I should tell you, because… “

“You don’t have to, I just wanna help… if I can.” Somehow the bad feeling settling in Liam’s stomach almost made him want to puke and it definitely did not come from the fact that he was worried about Harry and Louis’ relationship breaking apart or even about Niall being possibly sick. It was the look on Harry’s face. 

“I just… he, umm… came home really late, last night, I… I was over at his place and… anyways, I just… it was weird. Also, he… he was on the phone and… it just made me wonder, if… you know, if he’s like… keeping things from me and I know that… I sound really stupid right now and paranoid and also jealous, maybe, but… this is really not about jealousy. I know he’s not like… cheating on me, it’s… it was just a really weird phone call.” Alright, now Liam definitely wanted to throw up and he needed to pretend like he didn’t, needed to pretend like he didn’t suddenly have a really good idea about where Louis had been last night and who he had been on the phone with. 

“Did you, like… ask him about it?” If Louis _knew_ he would have called Liam, right? He would have said something today at work, but they hadn’t actually seen each other and… had Louis even been there?

“Yeah, but… I just got a really vague answer, he didn’t wanna talk about it. Do you think it’s something bad? Do you think I’m… overreacting?” Well, maybe he was, for the little knowledge that he had, but he wouldn’t have been had he known the whole story. Fuck, Liam was so screwed. 

“I think that… that you should trust him. And I’m not saying that because he’s my best friend but because I know that he wants to be with you and… maybe you should try asking again and… you should talk to him, if you’re unsure.” And not to Liam because even though now he was kinda glad that Harry had brought this whole thing up, he was also really nervous. He didn’t even know whether it was really that, or how much Harry actually knew since he had heard the phone call, but… matter of the fact was, even if it hadn’t happened now, it’d probably happen at some point. 

“Okay, thank you, Liam. I… I know that… I probably shouldn’t ask this, but… can you, uh… maybe not tell Louis about this? I wanna… I wanna talk to him myself.” Well, there’d be no fucking way that Louis wouldn’t come and talk to Liam himself and then it would probably all come out anyways, but Liam still made sure to nod anyways, just glad that Harry hadn’t asked him to keep it from Niall. Then again… Liam should have probably told his boyfriend the whole story first, before Harry said anything to him, but… he really didn’t want to. 

“Sure, of course, I… I won’t say a word.” Somehow Liam managed something like a smile, feeling quite terrible though when he saw the tiniest bit of relief on Harry’s face, as if Liam had just genuinely helped him. He wished he could have, honestly, but… this whole thing was enough of a mess as it was.

“Thank you. Hey, umm… I’m probably gonna leave in a bit and meet some friends, do you need anything or so? I mean I can get you guys some food or something, in case Niall ever decides to wake up.” Right, by the looks of it, the blonde was going to be asleep for quite a while and though Liam did consider saying yes to Harry’s offer, he decided that it would be too much to ask for. Especially because he had not been giving that boy good advice at all. 

“No, that’s fine, thank you though. I’m just gonna stay here, if that’s alright with you.” Liam had never stayed here for very long, they had always immediately left again, so he thought that he should probably ask just to be sure.

“Sure, you can stay for as long as you want.” Harry threw him a quick smile before turning around in his chair to keep on typing whatever it was on his computer.

The younger boy stayed for quite a while actually without Niall doing as much as move, but that was fine, because it gave Liam enough chances to stare at him and stroke his hair while at the same time trying not to be too creepy because obviously Harry was still there as well. Then again, he knew they were dating, so it really was whatever.

After Harry had left, telling Liam that he could also stay overnight in case Niall didn’t wake up to tell him himself, the brunette felt really tempted to squeeze into that tiny bed with Niall, even if it seemed quite impossible at first.

Due to the fact that Niall was really deep asleep anyways, Liam somehow managed to very gently move him, make some more space for himself and half pulling the boy on top of him after lying down, almost falling off of the edge of the mattress though. This was the first time that Liam was lying in this bed, they were always at his place and though of course Niall talked about all of this a lot, Liam did realize for a moment that he didn’t actually know a lot about Niall’s life at uni and at his dorm. 

Thinking about that was way nicer than thinking about what Harry had said before, Liam considered texting Louis, but then decided not to. He had promised Harry not to say anything and besides, he should have really waited for Louis to talk to him first, just in case it wasn’t even about _that_. God, Liam was going to go fucking crazy and-

“Hmmm… “ When Niall moved, Liam was almost surprised, immediately holding on tighter to the boy though, pressing his face into the younger’s hair. “… what… what’re you… doing? … Harry?”

“It’s me, baby. Go back to sleep, okay? It’s fine, love, I got you.” Liam whispered, not wanting to startle Niall in any way, but apparently, that was in vain anyways. 

“Li…?” Niall mumbled before suddenly moving, actually lifting his head off of Liam’s chest, his fingers still curled into the older’s shirt like they had been in his sleep, his face looking all exhausted, eyes a little bit red shot.

“Hey… are you okay, Ni? Harry texted me and he said that you haven’t been feeling well and I… well, I didn’t have anything to do at work anyways.” Except for another few hours of work, but…

“He… he texted you?” The blonde seemed confused for a second before rolling his eyes a little bit, stretching his neck a bit though so he could kiss Liam’s lips. “I’m feeling fine… I just… I had a bit of a headache and I was kinda tired, I didn’t actually plan on sleeping for this long, but… I guess I can forgive Harry because otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

“You should have told me you were feeling kinda bad, I could have come way sooner.” Smiling at the younger boy and evenly brushing his fingers through Niall’s hair, Liam felt happiness bubbling up in his stomach. He should have really left work early more often. 

“Hmm… don’t tell me that or… who knows, I might be developing a chronic headache.” Grinning a bit, Niall still looked really sleepy and exhausted, but he also didn’t seem terribly ill like Liam had feared, so that was a good thing. “I’m fine though, right now, I mean… not talking about what could possibly happen tomorrow.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay, Nialler, I was really worried about you.” Luckily, Liam didn’t actually have to lift his head to pull Niall down to him because the blonde was doing it by himself already, pressing his lips on top of Liam’s, the older’s hand slipping to the back of Niall’s neck, fingers curling into his hair.

“Don’t be… ‘m fine… “ Niall mumbled against the older’s lips and Liam felt himself smiling, licking into the younger’s mouth as he opened it with a sigh, moving more on top of Liam, which was a good thing because it meant Liam wasn’t lying on the very edge of the mattress anymore. 

Obviously, they couldn’t really… do anything, not in a bed this tiny and not when Harry could have come back any moment, but it was still really nice, especially because of everything that was going on, but whenever Liam was kissing this boy, he couldn’t really think about anything else anyways. 

“Hey… “ Liam started without thinking after Niall had pulled back a tiny bit, rubbing his nose against the brunette’s, their lips still brushing. Honestly, maybe this wasn’t the right time to ask this, especially because the brunette had not planned any of this out in any way, not at all, but he didn’t even try to hold back either way. “Do you need to be anywhere next weekend?”

“Hmmm… no. Why?” Niall pecked Liam’s lips again, very softly, lingering for a little bit before giving the older man the chance to reply. 

“I wanna take you somewhere…” No, Liam was not trying to get Niall away from here because he was scared Harry would tell the blonde about Louis and that they’d all figure it out somehow, he was honestly not even thinking about that right now, just about how fed up he was with everything going on and… how much he wanted to be alone with Niall. Like, desperately much. 

“Where?” There had been times when Niall would have tried to protest, would have blushed and tried to pretend like he didn’t want to and… god, Liam was so glad that those times were over. 

“Anywhere you want… just pick a city and we’ll go there.” Their lips were still brushing and Liam lifted his head a bit to kiss Niall once more before the blonde fully lied back down on top of him, snuggling up against his chest. 

“I don’t know if you’re serious or not.” Niall chuckled, readjusting a bit, which luckily meant creating more space for Liam, somehow trying to cover both of them with the blanket. That didn’t turn out so well but it was fine, because Liam felt really warm and comfortable already. 

“Of course I am, babe. Just tell me where you wanna go and we’ll go.” It’d probably end with Liam picking a place again, just like always, but that was fine because Niall had been absolutely blown away by every single country or city they had visited. Not that it had been THAT many, but quite a few. “Or I can also surprise you, if you prefer that.”

“Hmmm… maybe. But… I’m not sure if it really matters because I don’t think we’re gonna be leaving the hotel room very often.” There was a chuckle and Liam couldn’t help but smile, shaking his head to himself as he pressed a kiss onto Niall’s head right in front of him. 

“Is that so? Well, I’ll make sure it is a nice view from the bed then.” Once they were there, there was no way Niall would have just wanted to stay in, but Liam wasn’t quite sure if the blonde had realized that he hadn’t been joking about them going somewhere. He’d find out soon enough. “Do you wanna… stay here tonight? Or go to my place?”

“We can go to yours, I just… wanna keep on lying here for a little bit longer…. Where’s Harry, actually? Have you talked to him? I mean… he must have let you in, right?” The mentioning of Harry made Liam’s stomach turn just the tiniest bit but he ignored it very successfully, playing with Niall’s hair instead and letting his eyes fall closed for a moment, feeling the younger’s breath against his bare neck. 

“Yeah, he let me in, but he left a while ago to meet up with some friends… wait, did you wanna meet up with them too? You can-“

“No. I wasn’t planning on going anywhere at all anymore except to your place before you come home, but… it’s kinda nice being here as well. I mean, if my bed wasn’t so terribly small… “ He let out a sigh, as if that thought really troubled him and Liam couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. 

“I think it’s fine, it’s not as bad as you always say.” Not at all actually, but maybe that was because usually they slept in Liam’s huge bed, so it was very easy for either of them to move in their sleep, but if they had spent the night here… there was no way anybody could have moved out of the other’s arms without falling off the mattress. 

“Yeah… but Harry’s here and… it’d be really weird. I can’t believe he really texted you telling you that I’m sick, I mean… I wasn’t feeling super great and stuff, but… kinda weird.” Right… that really was weird and it was only now that Liam had to stop for a moment and really consider Niall’s words because… had Harry just texted him to question him about Louis? Had he just… used Niall as an excuse to get Liam to come here, so he could talk to him alone? “Anyways… if we’re staying for a bit I need to call my mum back at some point, she tried calling me twice already today and I… haven’t found the motivation yet to call her back.”

“Does she still not know that I exist?” Liam was asking casually because he knew about Niall’s family, they had talked about it all a lot already and yet he kinda had to really think about his words because he was still worried about the realization he had just had. 

“No, but… I’m working on it and… I’m going to tell her. Eventually. But I… it doesn’t mean I don’t wanna hide you from my family, it means I really, really love you because I’m sparing you the pain of having to meet them.” Niall sounded half serious and half amused by his own joke, but Liam couldn’t really bring himself to laugh right now so he just hugged Niall even tighter, trying to ignore the weird feeling settling in his stomach yet again and instead answering way more serious than appropriate.

“I really love you too, Nialler...” Probably more than he would ever know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hellooo guys!
> 
> glad to see a lot of you enjoyed liams POV last week :) so i hope you all liked this chapter as well! i do hope that youre all liking how this story is developing, im really trying not to abandon the whole sugar daddy theme so therell definitely be more to that dont worry! i just felt like we needed a bit more thrill in the story so i hope youre all good with that haha
> 
> anyways, let me know what you all thought i love talking to you guys and i could need the distraction because uni is once again killing me :)))


	13. Chapter 13

_“Hey, this is Louis, I’m probably at work so just leave a message after the-“_

Liam ended the call with a sigh, not really knowing why he had been trying to call Louis for the hundredth time already anyways. Usually he wouldn’t have been worried, that his best friend had called in sick at work and didn’t answer his phone because Louis was the very worst at answering his phone in general.

It’s just… the thing that Harry had told him last night of course troubled Liam and though he had talked to his dad, had tried to make it clear to him that this _thing_ couldn’t start to affect their employees… he really felt like he was overreacting and yet… It seemed highly unlikely, actually, that it really was what Liam was thinking, because surely, Louis would have told him, right?

But if it was something else… what was going on?

“Everything okay?” Hearing Niall’s voice almost caused Liam to flinch, he hadn’t at all been thinking about Niall sitting right there next to him in the car because the blonde was so busy typing on his laptop that he had resting on his knees. Again his essay of course, the brunette would have found it funny had he not had so much trouble keeping up a smile for his boy.

“Yeah, sure. Are you almost done with your essay?” Liam raised an eyebrow at the blonde, laughing when the younger boy just rolled his eyes and for a moment, the brunette almost thought about asking Niall whether he knew what Harry and Louis were up to today. But no, he didn’t wanna drag the boy into this, the less he knew, the better, just in case.

“I’m never going to be done with this essay. I mean, I AM technically done, but… it still sucks.” He was obsessed with this essay for some reason, proof for that being that they were literally on the way to the airport to go away over the weekend and yet here Niall was, doing uni work. Which was good though because otherwise he would have surely noticed Liam’s inner troubles. “Are you gonna tell me where we are going before we actually get there, or… ?”

“You didn’t wanna pick something and you said you wanted a surprise, so… “ Winking at the blonde’s annoyed face, Liam couldn’t help but lean over to kiss the younger’s cheek briefly, highly amused when Niall pretended to lean away. As if he was _actually_ upset. 

“At least give me a hint.” Niall started begging again, like he had all day long.

The thing was, they had actually slept in Niall’s dorm, for the very first time, and it had been really terribly small but Harry had come back at some point and announced he would sleep at Louis’ place. Not that Niall and Liam had had gotten anything going because of the limited space but also because they had been way too tired, the blonde especially.

So this morning, Niall had refused to let go of Liam for so long that he would have come late to his lecture had Liam not agreed to go with him. Only for that one lecture though, just because the lecture hall was so big and no one had noticed anyways. Surely though, that had been Niall’s most unproductive hour in all his uni life but Liam tried not to feel guilty by telling himself that the blonde wouldn’t have even gone at all had he not come along.

And after all, he had really enjoyed spending more time with Niall, walking through campus with him and having the blonde point out and explain everything, greeting a few of his friends who all seemed kinda confused about seeing Liam though. All in all, it had been a good morning, and a kinda alright day at work afterwards, had there not been the thing with Louis of course. And the thing with his dad. 

“I’ve already given you a hint when we were packing.” To be fair… that hadn’t been a very good hint and the annoyed look on Niall’s face only confirmed that. 

“You told me to pack a short sleeved shirt and a sweater. Also, it’s not really the season where it’s gonna be hot anywhere anyways, so it could be literally _anywhere_.” Of course Liam was very aware of that, he tried to hold back for a second, tried not to laugh at Niall’s genuinely pissed off face, but then he decided it wasn’t worth it. “Oh, shut up, Liam, it’s not funny, I really wanna know.”

“I know, babe, I’m gonna tell you when we’re on the plane, yeah?” This time, Liam reached over to grab a hold of Niall’s hand, squeezing his fingers and keeping him from writing his essay, but the blonde didn’t pull away, he just sighed before returning the pressure a bit. “You know… it wouldn’t matter what I told you to pack because I could just buy you new clothes when we get there that are more appropriate.”

“I know… “ The blonde grumbled, closing his laptop before leaning his head back against the seat, rolling it over to look at Liam once more. “I really love you but sometimes you’re driving me insane.”

“I’m sorry about that, baby boy.” It had clearly been a joke and Liam was still highly amused, briefly kissing the younger boy’s lips because they were almost there now. God, he loved surprising Niall, even though he always complained to no end, it was way worth it seeing his face afterwards, how excited he was about literally _anything_. “I think you might wanna forgive me though, once we’re there.”

“We’ll see about that.” Niall decided, trying to pretend to be mad when Liam knew that in reality, he was just really excited. Which was a good thing, because there was nothing in this world Liam loved more than making his boyfriend happy. 

Since they had gone through the procedure quite a few times by now, Niall at least didn’t freak out anymore entering the private jet like he had done the first three times, each time finding something he hadn’t seen before and being blown away all over again. Now though, he simply let himself half fall down on the couch, already looking like he was at home here or something. Good. 

Actually, Liam had just been about to ask Niall whether he now wanted to know where they were going when the blonde suddenly set up more straight again, fumbling his phone out of his pockets kinda panicky. “Oh god, I completely forgot to tell Harry that I’m going away.”

“Did you not, uh… see him today?” Liam tried to ask carefully, not very keen on talking about Harry right now because of last night and because of all the things Niall didn’t know. 

“I did, but only for one class and I completely forgot to tell him. Not because I’m not excited though, it’s just a really hard class.” The blonde quickly added, as if he was trying not to hurt Liam’s feelings and the brunette just smiled at him, placing a hand on the younger’s knee, carefully watching his profile as he was typing on his phone. “But he probably knows anyways, I mean, you told Louis, right?”

“Ummm… actually, no, I didn’t.” Liam shrugged, trying so hard to make it all look and sound casual. Fuck. 

“Oh… well, they’re both gonna know it now anyways. Reminds me though… you know when I saw Harry in class, he was really weird. Like… kinda absent? I hope nothing happened between him and Louis.” Immediately after Niall had said it, Liam could feel his stomach twisting into knots, trying his hardest though to just comfortingly squeeze the younger’s knee, his smile maybe becoming a bit smaller. “Maybe I should ask… _should_ I ask?”

“I don’t know, I mean… if something’s up he’s gonna tell you, right?” Liam hated himself for this, hated himself for wishing that there were personal problems going on between Harry and Louis, that they were just having a fight like couples did, that it had nothing to do with Liam or his dad or anybody else. But even more, he hated himself for not being able to tell Niall, for having to try and talk him out of it because he was afraid the blonde might hear something Liam didn’t want him to know. 

“True… I mean, maybe they’re talking it out right now or something. I’ll just text Harry again when we’re there.” With that, Niall put his phone back into his pockets, very much to Liam’s relief, and before the brunette even had a second to recover from this small shock, the younger boy was suddenly grinning very cheekily at him. “You know… I was thinking about something.”

“Hmm, and what is that?” Judging by the look on his face, it was definitely sex related, and Liam didn’t even know if he wanted to know now, literally minutes before the private jet would take off and they’d be stuck here for the next few hours. 

“I think I can survive not yet knowing where we’re going, BUT… I might only survive if you do me a favor.” Niall was sitting sideways on the couch, one leg propped underneath the other one, leaning so close into Liam that the older man could almost feel his breath against his skin, breathing in the younger’s familiar cologne as he kept stroking his thigh. 

“What kinda favor?” Normally, Liam would have probably immediately agreed, but he was a little bit suspicious right now, even more so when Niall started kissing his cheek, hugging the older’s arm and putting up his puppy eyes. 

“You know… I’ve been thinking about it for a while and… I mean, we’ve been in here so many times and… “ Oh god, Liam knew _exactly_ where this was going all of a sudden, he was already about to shake his head, even though it would have cost him some strength. “It’d be so damn hot if we just… went into the bathroom and-“

“Ni, Paddy is literally sitting next to the bathroom door.” He was, though he couldn’t hear them now because he was always keeping his distance and Liam had kinda been suspecting for a while that his bodyguard was really annoyed having to come on trips with Liam and Niall, but… especially now, Liam wouldn’t have wanted to leave him behind. Plus, his dad would have killed him anyways. 

“But, Li, we’ve never done something like this. I mean… I haven’t, you probably have.” Almost immediately, Niall had started to fake pout and though Liam knew that the blonde was just trying to convince him to say yes, he suddenly felt slightly guilty, because… it was true. “Pleeease?”

“Baby… we really can’t.” God, Liam hated this, just the thought of doing it in the bathroom, now, got Liam feeling all hot and bothered and Niall’s fingers on his skin and him being so close in general wasn’t really helping at all either. 

“But Liam… it’s not fair that you have joined the Mile High club and I haven’t.” THAT was his concern?

“We’re not even in the air yet.” They’d be any second now and suddenly Liam was really afraid of that private jet taking off and his very attractive and touchy boyfriend attempting to seduce him for the next few hours. God knew Liam had no self-control when it came to this boy. “How about I…. how about I tell you what the surprise is and then when we get there… “

“Then what?” Niall kept pushing, almost falling into Liam’s lap by now and the sad thing was, Liam wouldn’t have at all minded even though that would have really been pushing it.

So instead, he decided to turn things around a little, leaning in close enough so that his lips were brushing Niall’s ear before whispering, squeezing the younger’s upper thigh. “When we get there and you’ve been a really boy… I might have you lie on the bed, naked, and then… I’ll show you what I bought the other day… “

“I… what… what did you buy?” Almost immediately, the whole mood had shifted and Niall almost sounded breathless, forcing the older man to hold back a laugh at his eagerness so he wouldn’t ruin it. 

“It’s a surprise… but only for really good boys.” Liam was almost purring the words into Niall’s ear, feeling him shiver a little bit, which, of course, lifted his mood immensely. The blonde was always so ready to try whatever Liam suggested or did, so a few days ago the brunette had decided that maybe they could try something new, he just hadn’t really found the right situation to ask Niall yet though, so… going on a small vacation together seemed to be a really good time. Especially when Liam needed to get his mind off a little bit. “So… are you gonna keep trying to seduce me or are you gonna be good?”

Niall didn’t answer immediately, he just stared at Liam with big, blue eyes before suddenly sighing as he leaned back a bit, causing Liam to grin proudly and kind of triumphant. “I hate you for this.”

“No, you really don’t, babe.” Chuckling, Liam wrapped his arm around Niall’s shoulders, pulling him back in until he could kiss his lips briefly. “Besides… I believe you shouldn’t be saying naughty things like that, should you?”

“Hmmm, no… “ The blonde grumbled, but there was a sparkle in his eyes and his cheeks were quite flushed and god… Liam suddenly couldn’t wait anymore until they were finally there. “But since you aren’t gonna fuck me in the bathroom, you can tell me where we are going, right? You said you’d tell me once we’re in the plane… so?”

He was so cute, and so curious and Liam kinda wanted to not tell him just yet, but he decided that the boy was suffering enough as it was, plus… he still felt guilty for the things he was keeping from his boyfriend, even though Niall knew that he was keeping something from him, but still. “Alright, ‘m gonna tell you…. I mean, I don’t even know if that’s something you wanna do, but… I remember you once asked me whether I have a yacht and-“

“Wait, wait… you didn’t… did you?!” Okay, that was a much better reaction than Liam could have ever hoped for, though of course he had known Niall would be excited as hell, it was really nice having confirmation that he was, seeing his face and all.

“I might have. I mean, we probably won’t really get to swim because it’s not that warm yet, but there’s-“

Before the older man even got to finish his sentence, Niall had lunged forward to kiss him on the mouth, all eager and excited, almost falling into the older man’s lap yet again. Maybe they should have not been doing that in here, maybe they should have also sat properly now that they were about to take off, but… Liam just couldn’t find the energy to pull away.

 

\----------

 

“Hmmm… I don’t know, baby, looking at you now I can think of a hundred things I’d rather do to you than show you what I got.” Liam was teasing of course and he was having the best time ever doing so, looking down at his very naked and very aroused boyfriend lying on the bed like he had been told while the older man was still fully dressed. “I mean, it’s only Friday, we still have two more days.”

“L-…. Daddy… _please_ … I wanna… I wanna do it now though… please.” Niall was using the nickname to make it even harder for Liam, but probably also because he thought the older man would be even more difficult to convince otherwise, that he would maybe punish him for not sticking to their little game. Maybe he would have, only playfully though, and in the end, he would have of course given the boy what he wanted anyways, he always did. 

It was already quite late actually, since they had only left after Liam had been done at work and then the flight and everything and getting to the yacht as well. They were in Italy, so it was definitely warmer than at home but not at night, so they had gone inside quite quickly, also because after having promised the blonde to show him what he had gotten, Liam had been pretty eager to do so.

Obviously, the yacht was in the harbor, though Liam had planned on getting someone to drive the yacht for them, at least a bit, that could definitely wait because right now all he could think about was the desperate look on Niall’s face and his leaking erection against his stomach that he was trying so hard not to touch. 

“Okay then, but you’re gonna have to turn around, alright? And make sure your hands are behind your back. And _don’t_ move your hips.” Liam tried to use a strict voice, still very pleased by how eager Niall was to do exactly what he had been told, just like he always was. Damn, he was so desperate for Liam, the brunette couldn’t even really think about it without wanting to rip his own clothes off and just giving the boy what he wanted. “Good boy… stay like this, I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”

Having to tear himself away from the sight, Niall on his stomach, hands behind his back and his breathing getting heavy, Liam tried to be quick as he walked across the massive bedroom, easily finding the items he had been looking for. His heart was bumping a little bit faster as he returned to the bed, because… Niall wasn’t the only one who couldn’t wait. 

“Alright, baby… tell me if I need to stop, yeah? Or if you’re not into it, I won’t be mad.” Just to make sure he knew, Liam was kneeling on the bed, stroking his hand down the back of Niall’s bare upper thigh, feeling the younger boy shiver slightly underneath him. 

“I know… “ He mumbled somewhere into the sheets, his voice really shaky and quiet, but Liam was glad that he had even answered at all. 

Liam had tied Niall’s hands up before, so that part wasn’t too new, even though the younger boy sucked in a quick breath when Liam tied his wrists together with one of his ties. This was also something he had done the very first time when he had come home from work wearing said tie, and had seen Niall lying on the bed, hand pushed down the front of his sweatpants and jerking himself off all casually. Obviously he had done it to get a reaction and hell, he had gotten one. 

“Okay?” Liam made sure to check after having the younger’s hands tied up behind his back, watching him trying to move them a bit before nodding against the mattress. “You wanna know what I bought now?”

“Yes… “ Niall was trying really hard to see something from the position he was lying in, but Liam wasn’t just gonna _show_ him obviously, that’d take all the fun away. 

“Just gotta prep you first though, bet you’re all tight because we didn’t do anything last night.” There was a tiny whine coming from the blonde that made Liam grin, even more so because it wasn’t followed with any begging or any of that sort, Niall just let him do whatever he wanted to him, let him tie him up and tease him, without ever complaining. 

Rubbing his finger dry over Niall’s hole, Liam could already tell that he was going to have a really hard time having to wait to actually fuck the boy, but hearing him moan quietly from just that would be way worth it anyways. Liam made sure to coat his fingers with lube, rubbing it over the younger’s tight rim, holding him down with his free hand so he wouldn’t be able to push his hips back against his fingers. 

“’s gonna be so good, Nialler… “ The brunette couldn’t help it, barely even thinking while he was watching his own fingers moving in and out of the blonde after he had gotten three inside, slowly thrusting them while the younger boy was squirming underneath him. “Look at you… taking it so well, just like always, huh? You’re such a good boy, baby, my good boy, always doing what he’s told.”

Of course Liam knew just how turned on it got Niall whenever he talked like that, so he always made sure to completely overdo it, the words easily falling out of his mouth though because they had gotten so used to all of this. Feeling the boy’s inner walls pressing around his fingers, feeling how hot he was and how ready to just get on with, almost gave Liam a hard time to retract his fingers after making sure to scissor them apart and stretch the boy for a few minutes, maybe a bit more than usually.

Liam was definitely nervous when he picked up the vibrator, having put it on the bed in a way that there was no way Niall could have seen it, plus his eyes had been pressed shut for the past few minutes anyways. “Alright… you ready, love?”

There was only a very small moan and almost inaudible whine coming from Niall and Liam had to smirk a tiny bit thinking about just how a bit of fingering could get the blonde to be all puty in his hands. 

“Speak up, baby, I can’t hear you.” While talking, Liam was making sure to put them into a bit of a better position, jostling the blonde around a bit and pretend checking whether his hands were tied up tightly enough, just to let him feel the burn a little bit, hear him whine. 

“Yes, daddy… sorry.” Niall finally brought out, almost joking on the last word though when Liam randomly let his finger half dip down into his freshly stretched hole again after making him lift his hips just a tiny bit to make it easier.

Without answering, Liam made sure to lube up the vibrator before taking a quick breath, his free hand rubbing over the small of Niall’s back. He knew that the boy would be into it, just because he was literally into anything they had ever done, plus this wasn’t too freaky or anything, so the real reason why Liam needed a minute was because he knew how hard it’d be to hold back when the younger boy was whining and moaning underneath him. And he would, Liam would make sure of that. 

Barely pushing one end of the vibrator in, Liam could feel Niall jerking a little bit, but he didn’t ask, didn’t question anything, so the brunette rubbed it across his rim for a while, teasing a little bit, but never really pushing it in any further before Niall couldn’t hide a quite heavy breath, trying to push his hips back into the toy.

Liam was rock hard in his fucking jeans as he finally decided to stop the teasing, pushing the vibrator in as slowly as he could manage, seeing Niall’s hole stretching around it the thicker it got towards the end, the younger’s moans and whines giving the brunette goosebumps. 

“Alright?” Liam made sure to check, his own voice sounding quite rough as he kept pushing the vibrator in and out, very slowly and only halfway, but the choked sound he received as an answer was enough for him to go in a bit deeper, immediately being rewarded with a moan and it was the best fucking feeling to know how good he was making Niall feel. How much he wanted it. 

The younger boy was so eager that he seemed to not be able to stop himself from pushing back all of a sudden, hissing though when the toy went in almost all the way at once and Liam would have maybe considered telling him to stop moving, but… he was way too busy watching his boyfriend fucking himself on the vibrator. 

“Shit, Ni… you like that, don’t you? Want me to turn it on?” Right, Liam had almost forgotten about that, smirking when the younger boy just moaned and then whined when Liam slowed his movements a little bit. “Gotta ask me nicely though if you want it, baby.”

“Please, daddy… please turn it o-on… “ His voice was numbed because his face was smushed into the sheets, he was moving his arms, obviously not being able to do much with them though because his wrists were still tied together. “Daddy… “

The word caused Liam’s erection to swell even harder in his jeans, he was seconds from just pushing a hand down his boxer shorts and getting himself off while fucking Niall with the vibrator, but he managed to hold back, only focusing on the younger boy and the sounds coming out of his mouth as he turned the device on.

Almost immediately, Niall’s whole body jerked and the younger boy let out a moan that sounded more like a sob. Had Liam not known how good he was making Niall feel, he might have even mistaken it for a cry of pain. “So good, hm? Tell me, babe, tell me how good I’m making you feel.”

“S-So good… daddy- _fuck_ …. r-right… right t-there… please… p-please, h-harder… “ He was trying so hard not to cum, Liam knew how the younger’s voice got whenever he was close, whenever he started begging and whining, plus his cock was curved against his belly, rock hard and dark with blood, looking almost painful. 

“Don’t cum yet, baby, a little bit longer, okay?” Liam was using his soft voice, rubbing the small of Niall’s back, pulling a bit at the tie wrapped around his wrists while pushing the vibrator in and out of his hole, sometimes a bit deeper and faster, until he finally found the boy’s prostate, making him _wail_ and curse in between sobs. “Shhh, no swearing, babe, be a good boy, okay?”

“D-Daddy… “ Was all Niall brought out, barely audible, again pressing his ass back against the vibrator when Liam was holding it against his prostate, massaging the bundle of nerves with the tip of the toy while reaching around the younger boy with his free hand, wrapping his fist around Niall’s erection. 

“You wanna come, baby boy?” Liam asked while slowly jerking Niall off, precum oozing out and covering his hand, making the glide easy. 

“Y-Yes… aaaah… _please_ … “ The blonde seemed to not know whether he wanted to push forward into Liam’s hand or back into the vibrator, the sounds coming out of his mouth so damn loud that Liam would have maybe had to shush him had they been in a hotel. Thankfully though, he had chosen a much better location and since he had already thought that this might happen, he had also made sure to have his bodyguard staying in the city nearby.

He didn’t immediately give the blonde the okay to let go, wanted to watch a bit longer, see Niall’s greedy hole clenching around the vibrator, feel how hard the younger boy was in his hand just from this, his sobbing and moaning giving the older man chills. 

“ _Daddy_ … “ This time, Niall’s voice broke on a real sob and when Liam forced his eyes away from Niall’s ass to look at his face, he could tell that the boy was crying now, so he decided to take pity on him.

“You can come, love, let go, c’mon.” Before Liam had even finished, the blonde was coming all over his hand with a moan consisting of only Liam’s name, his real one though. The older man made sure to work Niall through it, feeling pretty damn proud for having made him feel this way, only slowing down when the blonde half collapsed on the bed, whining a little bit when Liam didn’t pull the vibrator out immediately. “Sensitive?”

“Yes… “ Niall mumbled, sounding quite breathless and hoarse, a kind of uncomfortable sound coming from him as Liam turned the toy off and pulled it out, carelessly dropping it on the bed. “Li…?”

“Hm?” Liam made while starting to very slowly untie Niall’s wrists, as gently as somehow possible, rubbing his thumbs over the barely noticeable marks afterwards before allowing Niall to move his hands down to his sides. 

“Thank you… that was… really fuckin’ hot… “ He sounded kinda sleepy, his eyes were open though when Liam checked and before the older man knew it, Niall had turned onto his back, looking up at him with a smirk painted across his very sweaty and blushed face, chest still heaving a bit. “When did you buy that?”

“A while back. Thought you might like it.” Liam smirked before he leaned down over the younger boy to kiss him on the lips, running his tongue over Niall’s bottom lip and the younger boy gave in easily, welcoming him into his mouth with a sigh. 

Though the older man was still rock hard in his jeans and snogging wasn’t really helping with that, he decided to ignore that for now, still feeling all proud and satisfied for making Niall feel so good. Moments like these, it seemed like there was nothing at all in the world that mattered except for the two of them right here, holding each other and being as close as humanly possible, not even talking but just kissing and touching, feeling the other one just being there. 

When Niall’s hand slipped from cupping the back of Liam’s neck towards his shoulder, pushing a little bit, the older man was almost confused about what was going on before quickly realizing that Niall wanted him to lie down on his back. So he did, pulling the blonde on top of him without breaking the kiss, trying to choke back a groan when the younger boy pulled away all of a sudden, legs on either side of the brunette, straddling his hips, his ass right on Liam’s crotch. 

“What’re you doing?” Liam was a bit breathless after making out, grabbing a hold of both of Niall’s hands, intertwining their fingers as he stared up at his boyfriend grinning down at him, looking proper fucked. 

“Think it’s your turn.” Oh. 

Before Liam could protest, could tell Niall that it could wait, the younger boy had moved their intertwined hands above Liam’s head while leaning down to kiss him again, much more briefly though, moving his ass a bit over the older’s erection, on pure purpose of course.

When Niall let go of his hands and sat back up, Liam almost complained, almost wanted to pull him back down and snog him a bit longer, but judging by the very eager look on Niall’s face, that wasn’t really what the blonde wanted. And who was Liam to complain? 

“I wanna blow you.” Niall announced like he had done so many times before and it still caused Liam to feel all hot and cold at the same time, because the blonde was honestly really fucking good at giving blowjobs and he always enjoyed it so much, as if he was the one on the receiving end instead. “Sit on the edge, okay?”

The blonde had a bit of trouble moving off of Liam, slightly uncoordinated as always and the brunette would have maybe found it funny had he not felt so eager all of a sudden to have Niall’s swollen lips wrapped around his aching cock while he was looking up at him with these stupidly blue eyes, wanting nothing more than to please Liam. Shit. 

Liam made sure to give Niall a pillow for his knees, which caused the blonde to roll his eyes before still making sure to kneel on it instead of the floor, in between Liam’s spread legs once the brunette had moved to the edge of the mattress. “Don’t hurt yourself, Ni.”

“Have I ever hurt myself while blowing you?” Well to be fair, Niall had complained of knee pains once a while, plus he was gagging almost every single time but he did it again anyways and whenever Liam showed concerns, the blonde just told him that that was what he liked. So who was Liam to complain?

There wasn’t much time to answer because Niall went right to it, his fingers opening Liam’s zipper and button within half a second, hand immediately moving into his boxer shorts and wrapping around the older man’s leaking erection, causing him to suck in a very noisy breath. Niall’s slightly rough palm around his hot cock was almost too much right now. 

“Fuck… “ Niall breathed as he pulled the older’s length out of his pants, the look on his face going even more eager though if that was any possible. It’s like, he wanted it so badly and Liam remembered the first time Niall had asked to suck him off and then when Liam had allowed him to do it, having been absolutely blown away.

The blonde only gave Liam a few measured jerks, spreading the wetness along his shaft, tracing the veins with his fingers before leaning forward and simply taking the older man into his wonderfully wet and hot mouth, tongue massaging the head and Liam had to bite his lip so he wouldn’t burst right at this moment. 

He needed one hand to support himself, but the other kinda automatically found its way into the mess of blonde hair, a bit damp from sweat as Liam brushed his fingers through, gently because he knew just how much Niall liked it. Plus, he could have really needed something to hold on to.

“Baby… “ Liam breathed as Niall pulled off for a second just to kitten lick at the head, dipping his tongue into the slit while looking the older man straight into the eyes for a moment, smirking a bit before taking him back into his mouth, lips almost stretching obscenely around the man’s erection. 

Niall’s hand was firmly wrapped around the base for a while, lazily jerking Liam off before moving it down to cup his balls, getting a moan out of the older man as he took him in deeper. Liam’s hand was cramping in Niall’s hair, trying so hard not to hurt him or to push his hips up and fuck the blonde’s face. Which he had done of course, but only whenever Niall told him to, obviously.

“Feels good, yeah?” The blonde checked, popping off for only a second, pressing his swollen and spit slicked lips against the older’s erection, moving down until he could lick on his balls too and Liam thought he honestly had to die.

“S-So good, baby… so f-fuckin’ good… shit… “ Had Liam found the strength to speak in full sentences, he might have tried to praise Niall even more because he knew how much the blonde liked it, how he was almost preening whenever Liam told him what a good boy he was.

Niall suckled on his balls for a while before getting the attention back on the brunette’s erection, again taking him all the way in until the tip hit the back of his throat and Liam had to hold his breath and close his eyes because he knew that if he had been watching, he wouldn’t have been able to hold back for another second. 

“Daddy… “ The younger boy started after moving off of Liam’s dick once again, his lips still brushing against the tip though. “Please fuck my face.”

The fact that he was saying please, that he sounded so eager and… Liam honestly didn’t have to be told twice. He tightened his grip in Niall’s blonde locks as the boy let him slide back down his throat, one of his hands finding Liam’s that he had pressed into the mattress, intertwining their fingers. Liam was sure that if he had looked down, he would have been staring right into Niall’s eyes, which was one reason why he didn’t, the other one being that he couldn’t have forced his eyes to open even if he had wanted to.

He thrust his hips up slowly at first, not wanting to gag Niall immediately even though he always made sure to pronounce how hot it was and how much he liked to be half choked by Liam’s cock. So of course that background knowledge made it pretty damn hard to hold back, Niall’s hot and wet mouth pressing around Liam’s erection so wonderfully and the younger’s hand still fondling his balls almost made the brunette wanna cum right then and there.

But he didn’t, tried to savor the moment and the waves of pleasure curling through his body, making sure to press Niall’s head down just slightly until the blonde made a gagging sound, over eagerly trying to deep throat Liam even further. “ _Niall_ … “

Liam was thrusting unsteadily into the younger’s mouth, obviously not as if he would have been fucking him for real because even though Niall was really into sucking him off, Liam wasn’t really keen on _actually_ choking his boyfriend. So instead he tried to take it rather slow, barely able to concentrate on anything else except for how fucking good it felt to have Niall’s pretty mouth wrapped around him like that, the younger boy all eager to get him off, his face undoubtedly more than proud whenever he got a moan or a grunt out of the older man. 

“Fuck, Ni… “ The brunette breathed after a particularly hard thrust, feeling Niall tugging at his balls in the way he liked, his stomach twisting into tight knots when he heard the younger boy hum a bit around him, even with Liam’s cock literally hitting the back of his throat. “’m gonna… I won’t last… _fuck_ … “

Sometimes Niall did pull off so Liam always made sure to warn him when he was close, his fingers pressing so tightly around Niall’s that he was sure the younger boy would have bruises afterwards. Niall didn’t pull off this time though, he let Liam fuck his face and hold his hand, let him use him until he was almost going crazy chasing his orgasm.

It kinda hit Liam out of nowhere as he spilled down Niall’s throat with a grunt, his movements getting unsteady but Niall kept him in his mouth, pulling off just a little bit to wrap his hand around the base, lazily jerking Liam off while swallowing his jizz. God, how was it even possible to be so bloody good at blow jobs?

There were stars dancing in front of Liam’s eyes as he slowly came down from it, still feeling his body spasm a bit, his softening cock aching a bit from oversensitivity when he felt Niall licking him clean, as if he couldn’t get enough. Fuck. 

“Was it good?” The younger’s voice sounded kinda rough as he finally pulled off of Liam and the older man managed to blink his eyes open to look down at his grinning boyfriend, slowly unclenching his fingers in the younger’s hair, instead just brushing through it softly, a bit shaky.

“What do you think?” Liam asked sarcastically, having to catch his breath a little bit but not being able to stop himself from smiling when he saw his boyfriend’s very proud face. He was so fucking cute and hot at the same time, this shouldn’t have been possible. “How are your knees?”

“They’re brilliant.” Niall answered with a shrug, pressing another quick kiss to the tip of Liam’s soft cock before moving to get up, slowly pulling his hand out of the brunette’s. “The hand that was in my hair… did you wipe that off before?”

“Uh… no.” The brunette answered truthfully, only feeling a little bit guilty and more amused when he saw the look on his boyfriend’s face. “Sorry. But hey, I can say thank you for the blow job by washing your hair, alright?”

“Hmmm… only if that includes a head massage too.” His brief grumpiness was gone within a second, already stretching a hand out towards Liam to pull him to his feet as well, apparently not being able to wait.

Though Liam did take Niall’s hand, he still kinda had a hard time standing up, feeling a bit uncoordinated from the intensity of his orgasm, his knees feeling kinda wobbly. Which, of course, wasn’t very hard for Niall to see and he didn’t even try to hide his pride. “Don’t you grin like that, Nialler.”

“I’m not even grinning.” Niall lied, letting out a quick laugh before stretching his neck a bit to be able to reach Liam’s mouth with his, then again because the brunette didn’t want him to pull away just yet, tasting himself on the younger’s tongue. “Hm, you’re definitely still wearing way too much.”

“We’ll be under the shower in like five minutes, think you can manage?” Quite honestly though, Liam really regretted not having undressed sooner, he felt really hot and sweaty now, but the way Niall kept looking at him was maybe still worth it.

The bathroom was absolutely massive and Liam had to admit that even he was kind of surprised, needing a minute to take it in before he started to undress while his boyfriend was just standing there with a dropped jaw, eyes about to pop out of his head. “I… this is… insane? Fuck, I’ll take so many pictures of this tomorrow.” 

“Don’t brag too much once we’re back home though, it’s rude.” Liam joked, feeling better now that he was naked as well, not hesitating before grabbing a hold of Niall’s hand to pull him into the shower that could have surely fitted ten or more people at once actually.

“I’ll brag all I want, you know me.” It was obvious that Niall had still not gotten over just how big the bathroom was, he was still busy looking around when Liam made sure to pull him in with a tight arm around the blonde’s waist, pressing his lips against his temple and cheek, breathing him in. “Have you ever been here before?”

“Hm, nope. Never wanted to rent a yacht for anybody before to be honest.” Even if it sounded cheesy as hell, it was true nevertheless and Liam saw no reason not to tell Niall, his mouth was still brushing against the younger’s skin before the blonde suddenly turned his head, one of his eyebrows cocked. “You don’t believe me?”

“Well… I would, but I know you’re a very wanted man, so… “ It was only half a joke, Liam could tell by the look on Niall’s face that he was really hoping that the brunette was only doing this for him and the rush of fondness Liam felt was almost too much to take. 

“Yeah, well… it’s the truth though. I’ve never even been on a yacht before.” That was also very true, Liam kept on kissing Niall’s face while talking, holding him pressed closer against his body because it was getting kinda cold without having the water turned on just yet. 

“I… really?” Niall sounded really hopeful for some reason, which was very sweet, but Liam also felt slightly bad, that the younger boy was getting excited over things like this when he should have already known just how insanely much Liam loved him. 

“I wouldn’t lie to you, Nialler.” The mood had gotten a bit more serious but Liam didn’t mind, he was still busy covering Niall’s face with kisses before finally reaching his mouth, only briefly kissing him though before pulling away with a smile to take the younger boy in, pushing his fringe out of his face. “Can I turn the water on?”

“Sure… “ The younger’s response had taken a few seconds, but he did return Liam’s smile, his face having gotten really soft, not taking his eyes off of the older man even when he moved a bit in order to turn the water on, making sure it was the right temperature.

“Alright… turn around.” Liam kissed Niall one more time before softly attempting to turn him around and the younger boy complied, even though he didn’t seem to want to stop looking at Liam for some reason. “Close your eyes, yeah? I’ll be careful, but I don’t wanna get any shampoo into your eyes or something.” 

“Okay… I trust you though.” There was a small tuck to Liam’s heart at that as he ran his fingers through Niall’s hair, slowly, getting it properly wet before reaching for the shampoo.

They had done this many times actually and it was really, really nice. Sure, at times it had also led to them having sex, but Liam could tell that he wasn’t the only one feeling kinda tired and a bit exhausted, so simply washing Niall’s hair and giving him that promised head massage before simply continuing to wash the rest of his body too almost felt more intimate than what they had been doing before.

Whenever they were this soft with each other, having a shower together before falling into bed together, just holding onto each other until they eventually fell asleep all cuddled up, Liam could barely believe that this wasn’t a dream, that it was really happening. 

So he couldn’t really help himself when he got kind of emotional while washing the shampoo out of Niall’s hair, circling his arm around the younger’s stomach from behind to pull him back more snugly against him, pressing his lips against his shoulder. “I love you so much, baby… “

“I love you too, Li… “ Niall half whispered back, leaning back against the older man as they stayed like this for a second and Liam couldn’t have thought of anything in this world that could have possibly been troubling him even if he had tried.

 

\-----------------

 

“Liam, look at this, that’s _crazy_!” The blonde had been calling out for Liam for the hundredth time probably. He was sitting on the very edge of the yacht, letting his legs hang down and yes, Liam definitely had half a heart attack every time he looked over, but he was really trying not to ruin the younger’s fun.

“I’ll be there in a second.” Liam half yelled back because there was quite a bit of wind now that they were out on the sea. They had slept in in the morning, probably a bit too long, but that was fine because it was Saturday and they didn’t have anywhere to be, they were on a fucking yacht and Liam couldn’t have been happier with that decision. He had hired someone to drive them out a bit as well and Niall was literally having the time of his life here. 

And actually, Liam had had the time of his life as well watching his boy, but that had faded a little bit when he had decided to try and call Louis without success, not even managing to get a text message from his best friend. What the hell was going on, like… should Liam have been genuinely worried? Should he have texted Harry? But he wasn’t gonna do that behind Niall’s back obviously, but if he asked the blonde… he would have to tell him everything and it would have possibly ruined their weekend.

Liam still had no idea whether what he thought could possibly be going on was really happening. Actually, the longer it went on, the more did he doubt that Louis’ behavior was actually related to anything, but… honestly, the whole situation was just bloody weird and Liam even considered calling his dad to confront him again, make sure that Louis wouldn’t be pulled into this, but… maybe he wasn’t quite that desperate yet.

So instead, Liam sent Louis yet another text message to call him back before pocketing his phone and finally walking over to where Niall was sitting, immediately being greeted with a huge grin that almost made up for everything else going on. 

“You okay?” Niall briefly checked when Liam leaned against the railing next to him, trying to put up a smile while looking down at the blonde, even if it was kind of a little bit difficult to do so right now.

“Of course. You’re really having a great time here, aren’t you?” Had Liam known that Niall would be _this_ excited, he would have done this a whole lot sooner. 

“How can anyone NOT have a great time on here though? Have you looked at the water though? It’s so fucking clear, I wish we could actually go in but I don’t wanna freeze to death.” The blonde was actually wearing one of Liam’s hoodies, not because he hadn’t packed his own sweater but because he had decided that he would much rather wear the older man’s clothes. Which was fine with Liam of course, more than that. 

“We can come back in the summer. Or I’ll take you somewhere hot next weekend.” Obviously, they couldn’t keep going away every single weekend, but Liam liked the thought of it somehow, and the grin on Niall’s face when he suddenly stood up, much to the older’s relief. He had really been too close to that damn edge of the yacht. “Or even tomorrow.”

“Liii… “ Niall giggled a bit as he wrapped his arms around the older’s waist until they were standing chest to chest having to let his head fall back a bit though because of the height difference, his eyes sparkling. “I wish we could actually do that.”

“We can.” Liam made sure to tell the boy, brushing some hair out of his forehead and kissing the exposed skin before wrapping his arms around the blonde, holding him tightly with his lips still pressed against Niall’s skin. 

“Yeah, but… I don’t wanna leave already. And if we go away every weekend we’ll get nothing at all done. Plus, if I’m always looking forward to a trip I can’t concentrate on _anything_ and I’m already having a hard time concentrating when I’m looking forward to seeing you in the evening.” He was so fucking cute Liam couldn’t believe it and not only was he pretty damn sure that Niall was being serious, he actually felt very much the same. 

“You’re cute, baby.” Was all Liam said, lips brushing against Niall’s forehead as he talked, letting his eyes fall closed for a moment while simply holding the blonde in his embrace, rocking them a little bit but not too much because the yacht was obviously moving as well. “Don’t worry, I just wanted to make sure you know that whenever you wanna go, we can. Anywhere you want.”

“I know… “ Niall mumbled into Liam’s sweater where he had his face buried against the man’s neck, his fingers curled into the back of the brunettes clothes, as if he never intended to let him go again. “I don’t even deserve you.”

“Yes, you do.” Liam answered almost too quickly, partly because they had had this conversation a few times already and he really, really hated it, because… why would Niall EVER think that? “You deserve the whole world and even more.”

“I-“

“Shhh, you cannot say anything that would make it less true so don’t even try, alright? What I’m saying is true, period.” The older man simply cut Niall off before he could even get started, hearing him sigh just a little bit and hugging him back more tightly in return, feeling his stomach twisting a bit uncomfortably though. “I love you, Niall, and I know that sometimes you’re having doubts, but there’s no reason for that, ever, okay? I’ve told you a million times and I’ll tell you a million more if you want. You’re the most important thing to me in the entire world and I’d do anything for you because you’re worth it and I’m not suddenly gonna change my mind, I’m not like that. And there’s nothing I enjoy more than spending my money on you and making you smile because nothing is more important than you being happy. Alright?”

Niall didn’t answer immediately and Liam almost thought that he wouldn’t when he heard the younger’s voice, very quietly though. “I love you too, Li… I’m sorry about saying this stuff, I just… I don’t wanna upset you or make you sad or… I just sometimes feel like I don’t deserve all of this, and you, most of all. I’ve never… I’ve never been with anybody the way I am with you and in general in such a serious relationship. So I’m sorry if… if I’m having doubts once a while. I trust you though, 100%, I really do. Sometimes I just can’t believe that out of everyone, you… you’d choose to be with _me_.”

“And why would it not be you?” That was a serious question though because Liam himself could sometimes not believe that Niall would wanna stick with him either. “You know that…that just having money and success does not make you the most desired person on the planet, right?”

“No, I didn’t mean it in a way related to your money or… or your looks.” Well, THAT was a whole other topic. “I was talking about just you, as a person. The relationships you’ve told me about, where your job has gotten in the way and stuff, I… it’s honestly a mystery to me why _that_ would have led to a break up and I think it’s just really fucking sad that those people couldn’t see just how amazing you are just being _you_.”

“Babe, that’s… thank you, really. But I doubt that my job was ever really the only reason for my previous relationships to break, I mean, sometimes it surely was, but… I’m not actually that great, you know. Everyone has flaws.” Except Niall, his were really minor and they mostly made him even more incredible, so… 

“I know. But that doesn’t mean you’re not absolutely amazing, because you are and I really hope you know that, because… I don’t want you to ever think that I wouldn’t love you if everything was different. Like… if we had met in another universe or something where you can’t even afford your next rent and-“

“Baby, it’s okay. I know you’re not after my money, I trust you, and I also won’t wake up one day randomly thinking that I don’t wanna be with you anymore, for whatever reason. I’m actually quite happy with who I am, so don’t imply that I’m… settling for ‘less’ than I should because that’s just ridiculous. You’re not ‘less’ and you’re also not what I deserve but I’m not going to complain if you wanna keep on putting up with me.” This had gotten way more emotional and deeper than Liam had anticipated, but it was good because sometimes he really felt like they could need these talks once a while. 

“Well… I happen to love putting up with you, so… “ The blonde shrugged a bit and Liam felt himself smiling as he squeezed the blonde again, kissing his head one more time before deciding that it was definitely time to change the topic.

“I’m glad you do, love, and I appreciate it. So, can we settle on that we love each other and that both of us have doubts sometimes, which is completely normal, but that it doesn’t change anything between us?” The brunette actually tried to pull away a bit so he could look at the blonde, but Niall didn’t let him, he was clinging to him and Liam decided that he didn’t mind. 

“Okay… I think that’d be alright.” He decided, moving his head a bit until he could press a kiss onto Liam’s exposed neck.

For a minute or two, Liam really felt at ease and very blissful, almost forgetting whatever else was going on, or even where they were, everything he could think about right now was Niall and the way he felt in his arms. But that got very quickly interrupted when he suddenly heard his phone going off in his pockets, almost causing him to flinch.

Normally, Liam would have not answered a call while he and Niall were on a trip and actually busy with each other, but because he really needed to hear from Louis in order to calm himself down, he very gently pulled away from Niall, quietly apologizing before mindlessly pulling his phone out of his pockets. 

Obviously, had it been Louis calling, which Liam honestly thought it was, he wouldn’t have cared if Niall had seen the name on his display, but… what the brunette really couldn’t have predicted was Harry’s name showing up instead.

“I… why is Harry calling you? He hasn’t even texted me back, I… oh my god, do you think something happened?! You have to pick up, Li, what… what’re you waiting for?” The blonde was already on the edge of panicking, which would have never been a good sign, but… shit.

Liam had no choice but to pick up the phone, he had no excuse not to, no excuse to even walk away from Niall because the blonde was holding onto his free wrist, looking up at him with a more than worried expression, biting his bottom lip. If Liam had tried to talk to Harry without having Niall listening, the blonde would have either followed or demanded to know what was going on, so really… it didn’t matter if he stayed.

“Hey, Harry.” Trying to sound as casual as possible, Liam felt his heart beat increasing, very glad that Niall’s head wasn’t so close anymore because he could have surely felt it otherwise. “Everything… alright?”

“Hi… “ Was all Harry said and Liam could already tell that this was bad, that something had possibly happened that he could have maybe prevented had he just told Louis about all of it earlier. But how had Liam been supposed to know, that his father’s employees were possibly going to get pulled into this? “Actually, um… I was just wondering, if… if maybe we could… talk? I know you’re in Italy and probably with Niall, but I… I’m worried about Louis. And please, don’t tell him I called you, don’t tell him that I’m worried about him, please, I-“

“Hey, hey, calm down. I won’t tell him, I promise.” Liam made sure to mouth ‘Louis’ to Niall because the blonde had gotten quite irritated for a second, probably thinking that it had been about him. So now he was getting even more worried. “What’s going on with him?”

“Ummm… “ Harry started, clearing his throat and Liam wasn’t even sure if he wanted to hear it. There was still the chance that Louis was just being weird, right? That they were just… hitting a rough patch in their relationship. Or maybe not. “I… I wouldn’t have called you if… if I didn’t know that… that Louis’ been ignoring your calls and texts, so I… I thought it might be related to… to him being all… secretive and… and coming home bleeding and-“

“Wait, wait… _what_?!” Alright, now this was… even more unexpected. Liam couldn’t even concentrate on Niall being right there listening and the fact that he was going to demand answers after this phone call was over because… fuck, this couldn’t have anything to do with Liam’s dad, could it?!

“It, uh… he wasn’t bleeding much, sorry I didn’t wanna freak you out, just… it was just a little cut on his cheek and he… he tried to pass it off as nothing, but it was obviously not nothing and it was pretty obvious that someone else put it there and… in connection with everything else, I thought that… that it was really fucking weird and… do you know what’s going on with him? I know he’s your best friend, but… please, if you know anything, tell me, I’m really worried about him and I don’t know what to do because he keeps telling me it’s nothing and I… I didn’t know what else to do except for calling you.” Harry was really freaking out here and Liam had absolutely no idea how to make sense of this mess, because… damn, was Louis really _purposely_ ignoring him?

“Harry, I… okay, listen. I have no idea what’s going on with Louis, trust me, I would tell you if I did, but… I don’t. And I’ll be honest, I thought I knew what was happening when we talked a few days ago, but… I really don’t know anymore. I gotta… check some things, alright? And find some stuff out, but I’ll… I’ll call you back. Or I’ll have Niall calling you back.” Liam didn’t even care anymore, if Niall found out about their previous talk, he would have to tell the blonde anyways now. The whole story. 

“Okay, I… thank you. What… what do you think I should do now?” He sounded really desperate and Liam hated this, all of it, because he was doing this behind Louis’ back and he had kinda been doing it behind Niall’s back and… it was just a mess.

“Just… maybe it would be best if… if you stayed at your dorm. But don’t let Louis get suspicious and don’t tell him about this, okay? Just… trust me, please.” Liam just wanted to make sure, for all he knew Louis could have as well been involved in something completely different, but matter of the fact was that if he came home bleeding and was behaving strangely, it couldn’t mean anything good. And Harry was Niall’s best friend, so Liam felt obliged to make sure to tell him to stay safe.

“Oh… okay, I… I do. I’ll stay at my dorm, or… or so.” He didn’t sound relieved, but at least he let Liam hang up a minute later, not before having him promise that he was going to call him back as soon as possible.

The second Liam ended the call, Niall was of course all over him, he honestly looked like he would explode any moment or something, his fingers almost painfully digging into Liam’s wrist by now. “What’s going on, Li?! Did Louis… did he do anything to Harry? Did he hurt him? Did he… why did he call you, why didn’t he call me if anything’s going on between them and… and what did you talk to Harry about a few days ago and-“

“Baby, hey… I know that it might be really difficult, but… please try and calm down, okay? I will tell you, I just need to make on more phone call and then I’ll explain it you. All of it, I promise.” Liam tried to hold firm eye contact with the blonde, waiting for Niall to take a few deep breaths before eventually nodding slowly, his body shaking just a bit. 

“Does it… does it have anything to do with… with you lying awake at night?” Damn, he really was good, wasn’t he?

“I’m afraid it does.” There was no way Liam would be able to tell Niall without telling him _everything_ , so he just sighed before leaning down to kiss the blonde’s forehead, internally praying that everything would turn out to be a huge misunderstanding. For some reason though, Liam was pretty damn sure that it wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY GUYS :D
> 
> hope youre all excited for next week when liam will tell niall whats going on!!! let me know if you have any guesses, id love to hear that, also bc i wanna know if its obvious or something especially cos i have something else planned for later on in the fic ;) and i hope you liked the smut too, i felt bad because there wasnt any last week!
> 
> thank you once again for the support and the lovely messages, i love you all very much <3


	14. Chapter 14

To say that Liam was even more confused after he had called his dad was quite an understatement. In fact, he was suddenly questioning everything going on even more, especially the thing with Louis because… his dad had assured him that nothing of what was going on would be affecting the employees, that it couldn’t have anything to do with each other.

Only question was, after everything Liam had learned about his father in the course of the last few weeks… how reliable were his reassurances?

Hanging up the phone and walking back outside to where Niall was waiting for him, Liam’s heart was bumping faster than he thought was possible. He hadn’t thought he would have to tell the blonde at all, but especially not this soon. But he had no choice, he had promised his boyfriend he would answer absolutely any question after calling his dad and… after all, now that Harry and Louis were possibly involved in this whole mess, Niall had a right to know as well.

“Everything okay?!” Niall immediately jumped up as soon as he saw Liam, he had been sitting on one of the benches on the deck and the brunette hated himself for being about to ruin their whole trip. 

“Well… I didn’t find out anything new, so… “ No idea whether that was good or bad, Liam shrugged before trying to put up a somewhat neutral face, softly grabbing a hold of Niall’s wrist once he was close enough in order to make him sit down next to him. 

“So? What’s going on?” The blonde looked rather panicked and worried and… all of this could have been avoided had Liam just told him sooner. Then again, it’s not like he had kept quiet without a reason. 

“Look… I just want you to know that the only reason why I didn’t tell you until now is because I wanted to keep you safe, just in case, because I still have no idea what’s going to happen and… I was hoping it’d all resolve itself.” Great, now Liam had scared the blonde even more, he could see his blue eyes growing wider and it made the brunette wanna punch himself in the face. Instead, he grabbed a hold of Niall’s hand, squeezing a bit and trying to smile at him. “Don’t worry, you _are_ safe and you always will be, that’s a promise.”

“Okay, but… but why would I… why would I not be safe?” Maybe Liam should have started this all differently, he had honestly made it sound like a crime story and… maybe it was, but Niall didn’t know that yet. 

“Before I tell you, don’t… freak out, okay? It’s… worse than it sounds, plus we don’t even know if Louis is really involved or if he’s just being weird.” That wasn’t comforting, if anything, Liam was causing Niall’s face to grow even more worried and scared. Damn it, he just needed to say it, get it over with. 

“Involved in… what?” The younger boy was returning the pressure of Liam’s hand around his, but he probably didn’t even notice doing it, probably just needed something to hold on to because he looked like he was on the verge of exploding. 

Instead of answering immediately, Liam looked away briefly, trying to tell himself that it was no big deal, even though it kinda was. And then, when he thought that the blonde would punch him at any second if he kept leaving him hanging for any longer, the brunette decided to just spit it out, his eyes still stuck on the water though instead of his boyfriend. “My dad always told me that… that he built the whole business by himself, you know. That I needed to work hard at uni and get good grades and be… the perfect son because otherwise I’d never achieve as much as he has. Turns out though… my dad stole a whole bunch of money. Like… _a lot_ of money and… when I was done with uni and we became partners, that was all already years in the past. But… he brought someone to fucking jail for that money and… well, they didn’t go to jail forever.”

“I… what?! He… wait… is somebody, like… trying to… _kill_ your dad?!” Okay, again, Liam wasn’t very good with words today.

Turning his head to look at the blonde, seeing the frightened expression, the brunette honestly hated himself, for dragging somebody like Niall into this, who was completely innocent and just wanted to have fun sitting on the edge of a yacht watching the water. “No, I… I mean, we don’t know. That’s the problem, umm… there were just a bunch of threat mails, things like that. So my dad was kinda forced to tell me the whole story a while ago because it would have either come out or… it could possibly affect me as well.”

“But… but who did he steal the money from, I… why were they in jail?” Niall was asking good questions considering the fact that he looked like he would throw up any second, but that was probably normal, Liam had felt quite the same when he had heard the story for the first time. 

“Drug dealers. And… he didn’t technically steal the money, he just… he borrowed it and then… then he ratted them all out so he’d never have to pay it back, so… that’s actually a lot worse, so now… he doesn’t know what to do, obviously, I’ve got no idea if he thought that they’d all… die in jail or something. We don’t even know _who_ it is exactly that’s been sending the threats, but… you see why I’m worried about Louis?” Honest to god, if that was the case Liam was genuinely going to consider going to the police, even if that meant that he’d be testifying against his dad. It’s just… he couldn’t let his friends getting hurt?

“You think that they… that they threaten him as well because… because he works there?! Oh my god, but… what about Harry?! We have to tell him, Li.” Of course that was the first thing Niall wanted to do, but Liam couldn’t allow him to do that, not before he was sure about what was actually going on with Louis.

“Babe, I promise nothing will happen to Harry, okay? I told him to stay at his dorm and to stay safe and besides… I doubt that if it were really those guys threatening Louis, that they’d drag somebody completely unrelated into this.” Well, maybe they would, Liam didn’t know these people after all, did he? And if they had been punching Louis, then… who knows what else they were capable of. 

“But… if it were them, why didn’t Louis tell you? Did you try to talk to him?” That was the thing that was most confusing to Liam, honestly, wouldn’t the most logical thing be to talk to him?

“No, he… he’s ignoring my calls and my messages. When I came over to your dorm a few days ago after Harry texted me, I believe he only did it because he wanted to talk to me about Louis behaving weirdly. But… I haven’t talked to him ever since the day when you came to visit me at work for the photoshoot.” Liam was still holding Niall’s hand, he was waiting for the blonde to pull away, tell him that he wanted nothing to do with this but instead, he leaned his head against the older man’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you any of this earlier.”

“Well… now I know why you didn’t. That’s… really messed up. I mean, your dad… was he like… a drug dealer or something? I mean… why would they borrow him money in the first place?” Feeling the blonde shivering a bit, Liam made sure to carefully let go of the blonde’s hand and instead wrapping it around his shoulders to pull him in a bit closer, a poor attempt at warming him up. God, nobody deserved a boyfriend like Niall. 

“He’s got a lot of connections to people in really high positions, he was very involved in politics before he started building the business and I guess… it brought them a lot of benefits to be on good terms with my dad. I don’t think he was like… a member or whatever it’s called, but… obviously he also used his position to get them into jail. Maybe that’s why he thought they wouldn’t come back out, he probably knew whoever convicted them as well, I don’t know all the details, but… I know enough.” So really… Liam’s dad was an asshole. Not that they had ever had a good relationship, it’s just… it had been really shocking for Liam hearing all of that, after never having had just the hint of a clue. And now… he was honestly struggling since weeks trying to figure out what to do. 

“If… if you know about all of this and… and you just keep quiet, what happens if… if it all comes out?” Okay, wait, was Niall worried about _Liam’s_ well-being now?

“I mean… the money they gave to my dad… they obviously didn’t get it in a legal way either and they were punished after all, so… I don’t know what would happen if somebody went to the police, honestly, I don’t even know if they would have had to go to jail if it hadn’t been for my dad, like, if he bribed a judge or whatever. I tried suggesting going to the police but he doesn’t want to, he says it would just make things worse, plus… it’s just threat mail, for now.” And possibly punching and threatening Louis in person, but… why would they choose _him_? Out of all the employees? Just a random pick? And what information would they even need from him, like… they knew where Liam’s dad worked, so what was the goal here?

“Can’t he just, um… pay them back now?” Bless Niall for thinking that way, Liam wrapped his second arm around the blonde as well, pressing a kiss onto the top of his head. 

“I don’t think that… that that would change anything. I mean, they’re not just pissed because of the money but he also got them all into jail and he ratted them out, so… I mean, maybe if he paid them back double the amount or even more, but in all honesty, I think that… that they’re just out for revenge.” Whatever form of revenge that was, not knowing about it was the biggest reason why Liam hadn’t told anybody about this. Because if this turned really ugly, he hadn’t wanted Niall to know anything in case they somehow got to him, or Louis for that matter, although… that was maybe already too late. 

“What if… what if they really wanna kill him, Li?! Or Louis?! Shouldn’t we…. shouldn’t we do something, I mean… what if they wanna do something really bad and then… and then you get hurt or Louis or Harry or-“

“Nialler, hey, hey. None of that will happen, alright? I’m going to talk to Louis as soon as we’re back home and then we’ll figure it all out, okay? It’ll be fine, baby, I’m pretty sure that it’s half as bad as it seems, I mean… maybe it’s just a really bad joke or something.” Probably not, but Liam was really trying here to calm Niall down, still not being able to believe that the blonde hadn’t freaked out more though, that he wasn’t even mad at Liam for keeping something like this from him for so long. 

“It doesn’t really sound like a joke though… “ The blonde mumbled, cuddling a bit closer into Liam and the brunette tightened his arms in return, wishing that they could always stay right here like this, forever, just the two of them away from whatever trouble was going on at home. “Do you promise that… that you’ll stay as uninvolved as possible? Like… just… stay away as far as possible?”

The fact that Niall was so worried about Liam’s well being caused Liam’s heart to swell but it also made him feel guilty again, even though he had told his boyfriend everything he knew, but still. “I promise, babe. And I also promise that nothing will happen to you, ever. Okay? No matter how this turns out, you don’t have to worry about anything at all.”

“Okay… I love you.” Having Niall say this NOW almost made Liam smile, he loved this boy so immensely and knowing that the blonde felt the exact same way, no matter, was just… mind blowing. 

“I love you too, baby… “ There was a whole lot more Liam could have said but then decided not to, he wasn’t so keen on continuing this topic, even though there was of course one more thing that they would have to do. “We have to call Harry, I promised him. Do you want to or… should I? I don’t really know what to tell him because I’ve got no idea how much he knows or how much Louis knows and… I don’t really wanna tell Harry before knowing what’s going on.”

“Hmm… we should just… I mean… I don’t want to tell him to stay away from Louis, but… I mean… if it means he’ll be safer… “ Louis would be so fucking pissed at Liam, if all of this turned out to be not serious at all, but whatever Niall decided he wanted to tell Harry, the brunette wasn’t gonna try to talk him out of it. Unless it was telling him the whole story over the phone, that wouldn’t have been the best idea probably. 

“You tell him whatever you think is best, babe. I mean… I do feel like… like Harry should know the whole story, but I guess it’s best if I talk to Louis first and… force him to tell me what’s going on.” Which would probably be a lot harder to actually turn into reality because the older man was doing a great job at ignoring Liam since days. Then again, he couldn’t not show up to work forever and if Liam called him into his office as his boss, he also couldn’t refuse. 

“Okay… I hope it’s… I hope it’s something completely different. But then again… if it is then that means Louis is doing something really weird and… what if he’s like… cheating on Harry? Oh my god, that would be so bad and then… everything would be so fucking weird and Harry would be completely devastated and… oh my god.” Niall was on the edge of a small freak out, Liam could easily tell but he didn’t really know how to stop it, because… the blonde was right after all. “Imagine if… if they break up and… this is what I was afraid of the first time I noticed that they were hitting it off.”

“I thought you were just jealous that me and you were just sex buddies and they were going on dates and stuff.” Just to lighten the mood a bit, but Liam also said it because he knew it was true, at least partly, and the fact that Niall immediately lifted his head off of Liam’s shoulder in order to playfully glare at him was proof enough.

“I was _not_ jealous, not ever. I didn’t even like you like _that_ when that happened. I mean… maybe I did, a little bit, but it was… more like a crush.” Niall’s cheeks were actually getting a bit pink as he kept rambling on and despite everything, Liam couldn’t help but grin, his arm still wrapped tightly around the blonde.

“Awww, you had a crush on me?” He teased even though it was obvious that Niall had had a crush, because… they were dating after.

“I’m your boyfriend, you idiot. Of course I had a crush, shut up.” Niall pushed Liam lightly, not really moving away though, in fact, he stayed so close that their thighs were still pressed together, his glare turning into a brief smile before his face got more serious again. “I should really call Harry, he’s probably freaking out.” 

“Yeah… call him from my phone though… or call him from yours and I’ll just pay for your phone bill.” Things like that would just slip out all the time, Liam couldn’t help it. He had offered Niall multiple times to pay the rent for his dorm as well, even if he always made sure to put money into the younger’s bank account too, which still caused him to complain once a while, ever since he wasn’t spending time with Liam anymore just because of the arrangement they had had. However, now that they were actually dating, Liam obviously wanted to spoil the blonde even more. 

“I’ll borrow yours.” Niall quickly decided and Liam gave it to him without saying another word, the blonde knew his passcode anyways, there was absolutely nothing the brunette was hiding from Niall. Well, except for what he had just told him, but he had had his reasons for keeping it to himself for so long after all.

Niall leaned back against Liam while he was waiting for Harry to pick up the phone and Liam was looking out onto the water again, trying to make sense of this whole mess but not being able to find a solution. It was just really frustrating to know that he couldn’t trust his dad anymore and now Louis… who the hell knew what he was going to tell Liam and why.

“Hey, Haz, it’s me… no, he didn’t find anything out… no… yeah, I know… are you gonna see Louis today?” Niall sounded very nervous so Liam kept rubbing his shoulder, kinda without noticing by now, wishing he could have done more to calm the blonde down. “No, just… I mean… Liam doesn’t know what’s going on either and… he just thought it’d be better if… if you stay at your dorm and he’s gonna talk to Louis when we’re back… no… Harry, I-… look, I don’t know what’s going on either, okay?... I’m not lying to you, I-… yeah… you gotta ask Liam that, not me, I-… fine. Bye.”

Without another word, Niall simply hung up the phone, which was kinda surprising to Liam because it seemed like the conversation had been going well until… it suddenly hadn’t. “Everything… okay?”

“I don’t know… Harry’s pissed because I won’t tell him what’s going on, he thinks we’re hiding something from him, which we _are_ , but… I don’t know, he’ll get over it. I just hope he’s not gonna… confront Louis and then get dragged into this mess as well.” Niall sighed heavily as he handed the phone back to Liam, shaking his head a bit and the brunette almost offered to call Harry back for him and try to make things alright, but… what would he have said, honestly? 

“It’s gonna be okay, baby. He’s gonna forgive you and… we’ll figure it out.” Pulling the blonde into his arms, Liam pressed a kiss onto the top of Niall’s head, letting his lips rest there for a while and breathing the younger boy in. 

“I know… thank you.” The fact that Niall was thanking Liam now was actually beyond the older man, like… he had kept Niall in the dark, purposely, and yet the blonde hadn’t complained or gotten mad just one single time, no, the only thing he had been concerned about was Liam’s well-being. 

So even though Liam had been pretty sure that he had been about to ruin their trip before when he had been about to tell Niall, he kinda really regretted not having done it a lot sooner.

 

\------------------

 

“When do you have uni tomorrow, same time as always?” Liam asked while unpacking his bag with Niall sitting next to him on the floor, leaning against the bed and not even having opened his backpack so far.

“Yeah, unfortunately.” The blonde rolled his eyes and the brunette couldn’t help but laugh at him, at the same time kinda sad as well though. Ever since his dad had admitted his criminal past to Liam, the brunette was getting away with a lot more at work, so skipping a few hours in the morning just to lie in bed with Niall would have been kinda nice.

It was kinda late already because they had only left in the evening. Despite Liam having told Niall yesterday, they had still had a good time on the yacht, they had even seen some dolphins, which of course had almost caused Niall’s eyes to pop out of his head. So now that they were back home, Liam kinda wished he could have taken Niall away every single weekend, like he had been joking about while they had been away, but sadly… that wasn’t gonna happen for as long as the boy was still in uni. 

“Are you gonna talk to Louis tomorrow?” Niall was asking rather casually though they hadn’t really brought the topic back up after the blonde had called Harry yesterday. Partly because there was nothing more to talk about, but mostly because… well, they had been busy with each other, especially last night. 

“I’m gonna try. If he’s even gonna show up that is, if he doesn’t I might get my dad to give him a warning, even if Louis is gonna kill me for that.” There was no bloody way that he had been sick, because according to what Harry had been saying, Louis was actually going out more than staying at home. “Or I might just show up at his doorstep.”

“Don’t do that.” The blonde almost sounded kinda panicked for a moment and Liam regretted having said that thought out loud. “Who knows what’s going on at his place, like… maybe they’ve got cameras installed at his apartment.”

“Ni… I promise you this is not as bad as a crime TV show, okay?” The worst part was that Liam couldn’t even know whether what he was saying was the truth or not because he had no idea what was going to happen either. “But I won’t go to his place if that makes you feel better.”

“Yeah… it does. Thank you.” Out of nowhere, Niall suddenly leaned over to kiss Liam, a bit more eagerly than maybe appropriate considering they were both sitting on the floor. It was something Liam had noticed though, how clingy and cuddly Niall had gotten ever since yesterday, and how worried he seemed to be about the older man’s well-being and… the reason for that wasn’t a nice one, but it still caused Liam’s heart to swell. “Also thank you for the weekend…”

“You already thanked me ten times, baby.” Still, it was nice knowing just how appreciative the blonde was, Liam never really expected having the boy react so positively even though he did every single time, but… anyways, it was just a good feeling, to make him so happy. “We can do it again anytime you want to, tomorrow even.”

“Hmmm… maybe not tomorrow.” Niall sounded kinda apologetic though it had been a joke and Liam smiled before ruffling the younger’s hair, brushing his fingers down his cheek. 

“Well, if you’re gonna stay here, you will have to unpack your stuff though, babe, ‘m sorry, but… “ His backpack was still lying there unopened while Liam was almost done. Obviously, they hadn’t packed a lot of stuff, but it would still need to be put away anyways and Niall was _the worst_ at doing so.

“Ugh… can’t I just do it tomorrow? I’m really tired.” He whined, as if Liam would have seriously punished him for not unpacking his stuff, he just found it really amusing just how unwilling Niall was to do it. 

“If you wanna get up even earlier… “ The older man grinned seeing his boyfriend let out a heavy sigh and rolling his eyes before pushing himself up onto his feet, very theatrically bending down to open up his backpack while Liam just sat there watching, trying to hold back a laughter. 

Of course he would have helped the blonde, but there was no real reason to because it would probably just take him five minutes or something. “Don’t look at me like that, it’s very distracting.”

“I’m not even looking at you.” Liam lied, winking at the blonde when he threw a bit of a glare at him before just giving up and emptying his whole backpack on the bed. “We should probably wash all our clothes.”

“What, now? It’s like… 11 at night, Liam.” Niall looked at him as if he had grown a second head or something and Liam chuckled as he finally stood up as well, briefly leaning in to kiss Niall’s cheek. “You know… I used to think you’ve got like… maids and stuff that clean your apartment and wash your clothes… “

“Nialler, you’ve literally never had to do anything cleaning or washing related in here.” Liam wasn’t mad or anything, it was actually just a joke anyways because he wouldn’t have even wanted Niall to do any of this stuff. 

“Hey, I cook though!” The younger boy tried to defend himself, softly trying to push Liam away but the older man simply grabbed a hold of his arm instead, keeping him close with a soft smile spreading across his lips.

“I know, baby, I was just kidding, ‘m sorry. But we should probably still put our clothes in the washing machine right now or we’re gonna forget about them.” He made no attempts to move though, instead making sure to circle his arm around Niall’s waist and the blonde didn’t try to resist in any way, simply melting against Liam’s body just like he always did. “Or… maybe that can wait for five more minutes.”

“I think so too… “ Niall mumbled while leaning his head back a bit because of how close they were and Liam decided not to tease, leaning down to kiss the blonde’s lips softly. 

Though they had had about two days with just each other, it never really felt like it was enough. Maybe this time it was especially because of all the stuff that had been happening, but whenever they got back from a trip in general, Liam actually could barely even stand the moment when he’d have to drop Niall off at uni again the day after. So naturally, he wasn’t very keen on getting ready for bed tonight because it would have just meant that they’d have to say goodbye again. 

Luckily, he didn’t seem to be the only one who thought this way because Niall easily relaxed his jaw as Liam’s tongue rubbed over his bottom lip, welcoming him into his mouth while his arms locked tightly around the older man’s neck. 

Even though all of Niall’s dirty clothes were still lying on the bed, Liam quickly decided that he didn’t care at all, making sure to hold the younger boy even tighter while they were snogging before simply moving them a bit and pulling Niall with him as he let himself fall onto the bed. Obviously, they were forced to break the kiss and though Niall kinda half fell on top of Liam in a not so comfortable way, the older man couldn’t help but laugh.

“Liam!” The blonde immediately complained, sounding a tiny bit breathless and trying to push away from the older man but Liam just held him even tighter instead, turning them both onto their sides. “I could have seriously injured myself, you know?!”

“ _Did_ you injure yourself?” Liam asked with an eyebrow pulled up, not at all surprised when Niall simply rolled his eyes before snuggling back up into him until their lips were kinda brushing against one another.

“No… but you still almost gave me a heart attack.” Niall whispered, but he moved one leg in between Liam’s so the older man knew that he was forgiven. 

“I’m sorry, love…” He was, but only a little bit, not having to move his head a lot in order to properly kiss the younger boy again, tongue sliding right back between Niall’s still half parted lips.

This was really nice, them just slowly snogging on the bed, not being about to take this any further right now because… well, Liam was kinda tired and also, he was kinda planning on just taking it to the shower. Not yet though, for now he just wanted to enjoy lying here with Niall, their limbs all tangled up with no centimeter of distance between them.

Honestly, Liam could have been doing this forever, he had a hand in the younger’s hair, softy running his fingers through while his tongue was sliding wetly against Niall’s, tasting the younger boy in his mouth, breathing in his scent. If Liam’s phone hadn’t been going off right at this moment, not for the first time ruining a kiss between them, the brunette might have never managed to pull away.

“Hmm… don’t pick up… “ Niall whined against his lips and Liam felt really, really bad for reaching down into his pockets and still fumbling his phone out, but… something told him he really shouldn’t be ignoring this.

“I’m just gonna see who it is… “ The brunette apologized with another soft kiss before leaning back just a bit, Niall’s arms still wrapped around him, making it kinda hard to actually see the display of his phone. Oh. “It’s Louis.”

“What?! Pick up before he ends the call.” Now Niall seemed kinda panicked all of a sudden, dropping his arm so that Liam could move better, almost feeling a bit anxious about answering his phone, because… what the hell? Had Harry said something to Louis or why had he suddenly decided to stop ignoring the brunette?

“Um, yes?” Liam had to actually clear his throat a bit, staring into Niall’s eyes because they were still lying very close to each other, trying to quietly catch his breath while he was waiting for his friend to say something.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t call you earlier, I’ve been kinda busy.” The thing was, Louis sounded completely normal, as if nothing had even happened and maybe it was because that was the very last thing Liam had expected to happen, he had no idea how to react. 

“Oh, I… okay. Sorry, I didn’t wanna like… annoy you or something, I was just… worried.” He couldn’t tell Louis why though, because there was no way he was going to tell his friend about whatever Harry had been telling him. Honestly, if this turned out to be a misunderstanding, he definitely didn’t want to be the one who caused troubles in their relationship. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, sure, everything’s fine. I just wasn’t feeling well for a few days so I called in sick.” Right, he made it all sound so normal that Liam almost felt stupid for believing that something was up. But why would Harry make any of that up? Why would he freak out like that if nothing was even going on?

“Yeah, I… I know. So… are you feeling better then?” It was really hard, trying to sound all casual with everything going on and while Niall was looking at him with that weird expression on his face, as if he was waiting for Liam to say something interesting, which he couldn’t do, obviously, because… apparently nothing was going on with Louis?

“Sure, I’ll be there getting on your nerves tomorrow, don’t worry.” The older man laughed, sounding completely carefree and honestly, Liam’s mind was just a big, fat question mark at this point. “But, hey… I heard you and Niall were on a fucking yacht this weekend? How come you’ve never taken me on a yacht before?”

“Well… you’re not my boyfriend, so… I kinda don’t wanna be on a yacht with you, if I’m being honest.” Now the conversation was turning rather normal and Liam understood why Niall seemed to just get even more confused. 

“Jeez, thanks so much, Payno, I’m gonna remember that. Anyways, sorry for calling you this late, hope I didn’t… _interrupt_ something.” Louis laughed loudly and Liam couldn’t help but roll his eyes, holding back a smile though because it really wouldn’t have been appropriate at this point. 

“It’s fine, you… you didn’t.” Well, he kinda had, but considering the fact that Liam had been pestering him with calls and text messages all weekend long… 

“Alright, well, just wanted to check in, I’m gonna hang up now, I promised Harry we’d still watch this stupid film.” Wait…

“Is Harry… at your place?” Of course that caused Niall’s eyes to go a bit wider and Liam really regretted asking, not only because it obviously caused his boyfriend distress, but also because it was a really weird thing for him to ask his best friend. 

“No, I’m actually at his dorm, sooo… tell Niall he really needs to clean up his shit when he gets back, okay? Looks like a bomb exploded in here.” Someone, probably Harry, was saying Louis’ name in the background and the older man just commented it with a laugh, making Liam feel rather stupid. “Anyways, see you tomorrow, bye.”

“Yeah, sure, uh… bye.” Right, that had been the most normal conversation they could have had and Liam really hated himself for simply allowing Louis to hang up the phone like that, but… what should he have said, honestly? He had been prepared to get yelled at, but not for this.

“What… what’s going on?” Niall immediately asked as soon as Liam had dropped his phone in between them, trying to clear his thoughts.

“Nothing, apparently, he… he’s at your dorm, with Harry, and they’re watching a film and… apparently he’s just not been feeling well and he was busy over the weekend. I mean, that’s what he said.” What if it was true though? What if Harry was the one who was behaving weirdly and not Louis?

“Busy with what?” The blonde immediately kept pushing, his eyebrows furrowed and Liam couldn’t help but reach out for him once more, thinking that maybe that would help him to make sense of this mess. “Didn’t you ask him?”

“No, I… obviously I didn’t, you heard what I said. I just… I can’t ask him when he’s acting like nothing’s up, if I do then he’ll know that Harry called me and I don’t want them to fight because of me. I mean… maybe it’s just… a misunderstanding, you know? I mean... why wouldn’t Louis tell me if he was like… being threatened or something?” Most of all, why would he sound so carefree and completely normal, was he really that good of an actor?

“Maybe… maybe he can’t say anything _because_ he’s being threatened.” There it was again, Niall’s tendency to turn this whole thing into a crime TV show and Liam would have maybe found it amusing had he not been so frustrated right now. “You gotta talk to him again, Li. I know Harry, he’s not the type to freak out like that over nothing at all.”

“I… I’ll try tomorrow, but I don’t wanna go behind Harry’s back and say something. If Louis doesn’t bring up the topic then… “ Then Liam couldn’t do anything at all except wait and possibly get a few more phone calls from Harry.

“You could… tell him. The whole story, I mean, maybe that’d make him talk as well.” Niall sounded really proud about having had that idea and Liam suppressed a sigh while rubbing his thumb up and down the younger’s cheek. 

“Maybe… I’ll think about it tomorrow or something, I’m just glad that… apparently things between Harry and Louis are going well.” Seeing Niall frowning a bit at that, Liam kinda regretted having said it even if it was true. “Are you not happy about that?”

“I am, just… I don’t want Harry to get hurt, or… or have something happen to him, you know… “ Liam knew that of course and he felt terribly bad that he couldn’t tell Niall something that would have genuinely taken his worries away, because… what was he supposed to say?

“I’m gonna find out what’s going, okay? I promise.” Though that was a promise Liam wasn’t sure he could keep, he tried his very best to put up a genuine smile for his boyfriend, moving his hand into his soft hair to play with it for a bit before moving his head closer to Niall’s once more. “Would a shower make you feel better?”

“Hmmm… that depends… “ The blonde smirked a bit even though it was obvious that he was still worried, but that wasn’t really something Liam could change right now.

“On what?” Even if Liam already knew the answer, he decided to ask, briefly closing that tiny bit of distance between them in order to kiss Niall properly because he was still kinda pissed that their make out session had been interrupted so suddenly.

“If you’re gonna join me.” Niall mumbled against his mouth, at the same time putting more pressure into the kiss, not making any attempts to get off the bed or to even just sit up. Not that Liam minded.

They stayed like this for a while, snogging and just holding onto each other until Liam decided that it was getting too late and that they should probably get under the shower if they didn’t wanna wake up tomorrow being tired as hell. He did fuck Niall in the shower, but they were both tired and when they fell back into bed half an hour later, cuddling up in each other’s arms, Liam only briefly remembered that they had completely forgotten about washing their clothes that had fallen onto the floor while they had gotten underneath the blanket.

 

\------------

 

“Hey, Lou, can you like… come to my office when you’re done here? Gotta show you something.” Liam had had hours to come up with something to say and yet when it was time, he simply panicked and blurted out with the first best thing, even forgetting to address Louis properly in front of the other employees. Obviously everyone knew that they were best friends, but… Liam didn’t want people to feel like he was giving Louis special treatment or something.

“Yeah, sure, ‘m almost done.” Before leaving with a nod, Liam threw another look at his friend, just to be sure nothing was like… off with him, but… he looked completely normal, just like always. Yes, there was a tiny scratch on his cheek but… that could have literally come from everywhere, right?

Making his way back to his own office, Liam tried to come up with something that he could ‘show’ Louis in order to not come off as suspicious. He didn’t really manage to think of anything though so he simply settled on something work related which didn’t really affect Louis all that much, but… Liam could very well pretend that it did.

When there was a knock on the door fifteen minutes later, the brunette was still nervous but at least he had his voice under control as he called out for Louis to come in. He really needed to play this cool, he couldn’t allow himself to have a slip otherwise he would drag Harry into this and things would just get even worse than they already were.

“Hey, what’s up?” Louis walked in just like he always did, closing the door behind himself, not even waiting for Liam to say something before sitting in the chair across from the younger man’s desk. This was going to be absolutely terrible, Liam could already feel it. 

“Just wanted you to look at that, since you weren’t at work when you were sick. It’s some new policies.” Liam simply handed over two sheets of paper, hoping the slight shake in his hand wasn’t too noticeable, but he couldn’t even get it under control while Louis was looking at the sheets, his face turning a bit confused.

“Okay… I mean, they don’t concern our department, but… “ Right, this was where Liam should have maybe been thinking this through more thoroughly.

“Yeah, I know, but… you know my dad, everyone has to be informed about everything and stuff.” That didn’t sound like Liam’s dad at all, but Liam made a hand movement as if it did, almost panicking slightly as he thought of what to say in order to keep Louis in his office for longer. “Also another thing, ummm… you know about the work event thing that’s coming up in like two weeks or something?”

“Everyone knows, Liam, your dad has been marching around here for the past month telling people, you know that. Are you like… alright? You seem a bit weird.” Great.

“No, I’m fine, I… I’m not being weird.” Liam tried to laugh it off, but honestly, it probably just made things worse. Shit, he was usually very good with words and hiding his emotions, but this whole situation was really testing his nerves. “Just wanted to make sure you know.”

“Right… “ Was all Louis said, but he didn’t move his eyes off of Liam’s face and then suddenly, he sighed as he leaned back in the chair, almost giving Liam a heart attack. “Look, I know what this is about.”

“You… you do?” Oh fuck… Liam was so fucking screwed, he would probably be the one responsible for Harry and Louis breaking up and-

“Yeah. But look, I wasn’t feeling well and I was genuinely busy over the weekend and stuff, so I’m really sorry about only calling you back last night.” Oh… well, shit.

“I’m… I’m not mad at you, if that’s what you think. I was just… worried, is all.” Couldn’t Louis see how desperate Liam was to just bloody find out what was going on?! “What… what were you busy with?”

“Just family stuff. Also, Harry’s birthday is coming up, so… “ Well, now… THAT changed things a little bit. “I’m trying to like… plan stuff without him knowing, but… I think he’s getting suspicious.”

“Oh… how so?” Honestly, the relief Liam felt after that was almost inappropriate, he felt his chest loosening at an instant because yes, this made sense, didn’t it? Didn’t explain the scratch on Louis’ cheek, but it did explain his mysterious behavior. 

“Just been coming home a bit later than usual and stuff. But if you tell Niall I’m planning something, make sure he doesn’t let anything slip when he sees Harry, okay?” Louis seemed really concerned about that, which made sense though because… Liam would have been just the same had this been about Niall’s birthday. Thank god Louis had just told him that because at the rate Liam had been going, he would have probably told his friend everything by the end of this day. 

“He won’t say anything, don’t worry.” Actually, Liam was almost _excited_ about telling Niall what was going on because it would surely calm the younger boy down as well, to know that Louis wasn’t cheating on his best friend and also wasn’t involved in any… dangerous stuff. Maybe Liam was slightly too ecstatic. “Anyways… do you wanna go anywhere for lunch today?”

“Sure. Has been a while since you asked me that, Payno.” Louis laughed as he moved to get up off the chair and Liam just watched, feeling himself grinning, for the first time in days not feeling this weight on his chest anymore. They had been freaking out over nothing at all. “I’ll come by again later. Don’t send Niall too many dirty texts while you’re pretending to work, okay?”

“I’m not _pretending_ to work.” Liam huffed while Louis walked towards the door, but he didn’t deny the dirty text messages thing, because… they did sometimes do that. Niall had also sent Liam a dick pic or two, but… he had been forced to delete them, because this was also the phone he used for work. 

After Louis had left, Liam was actually in such a good mood that he decided to text Niall right away, just to let him know that things were alright, but making sure to write the message in a way that wouldn’t make Harry suspicious in case he happened to see it. 

 

_To Niall 11:28 am  
Heyyy baby :) ive got really good news, so ill tell you later, alright? also, ill come pick you up today <3_

 

Niall would be at uni longer than usually today, so Liam had decided that he could probably leave a bit earlier so he could go pick up his boy. Which he would have done even if his conversation with Louis had turned out differently, but seeing as he was already texting Niall, he might as well have told him now.

The blonde texted back a few minutes later, only sending a bunch of heart emojis, which probably meant that either he had to pay attention in class or Harry was really sitting next to him and reading the messages as well. Hopefully that meant that they had made up at least, because once Liam would have told Niall what was really going on, the blonde could tell his best friend even less about why Louis was behaving in a strange way.

Somehow the day seemed to pass by really fast after his conversation at Louis, they had a good time during lunch and it was just like always, as if nothing at all had ever happened and Liam genuinely started to believe that they had all simply been overreacting. When he told his dad he would leave earlier, he was simply dismissed with a hand wave, which probably meant that his dad either didn’t care or he hadn’t even been listening seeing as he never even moved his eyes off of the screen. 

Once Liam had reached campus, he just sat in his car in the usual spot where he always picked Niall up, listening to some music and watching the sky getting darker, feeling a bit bad for all the times where Niall had to get on public transport or get into a Uber when it was already getting dark just to come spend the night at Liam’s. Obviously, that’s what the blonde wanted as well, but Liam still wished that his working schedule could have been different, which was kinda funny because he had never really wished for a more normal job in his previous relationships.

When the blonde opened the passenger door, Liam almost flinched a bit because he hadn’t even seen the younger boy coming, immediately turning down the music though as he watched Niall getting into his seat with a smile, his heart already bumping twice as fast. The moment Niall had gotten into the car, everything smelled like him and it was the best thing ever.

“Hey, baby.” Liam couldn’t but immediately reach over to cup the younger’s cheek, his heart flattering a bit when Niall returned his smile, leaning into his touch. 

“Hi.” He leaned across the seats then, keeping his backpack on his lap as he pressed his lips on top of Liam’s, causing warmth to spread across the older’s whole body. Damn, he had been missing this boy so incredibly much, after only a few hours. “Thanks for picking me up.”

“I’d always pick you up if I could.” Liam kept rubbing Niall’s cheek with his thumb, pecking his mouth again before the younger boy sat back in his own seat, the expression on his face not quite as happy anymore as when he had gotten into the car. Which, of course, was very alarming to the brunette. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I… “ Niall shook his head briefly, sighing a bit, a tiny smile appearing on his lips when Liam intertwined their fingers. “I gotta tell you something, but… tell me the good news first. Did you talk to Louis?”

“Wait, what do you have to tell me?” Liam couldn’t just let that slip as if nothing had happened, in fact, his good mood was already long forgotten as he scanned the younger boy’s face, trying to figure out if he was only pretending to be okay, what could have happened today to make Niall sad? “Did you have a fight with Harry or something?”

“No, everything was fine, actually he even apologized, so… it’s nothing bad, Li, I promise, I’ll tell you in a second I just really wanna hear the good news first.” Though the blonde was smiling and squeezing Liam’s fingers, looking at him all expectantly, the older man was a tiny bit suspicious as he decided to do Niall the favor, but only because he had been so relieved today and wanted his boyfriend to feel the same way. 

“Okay, but you have to tell me right afterwards.” Liam waited for the eye roll and the nod before continuing, allowing himself to smile just a bit. “Right, so I talked to Louis and I honestly thought that… that he knew what was going on, but he was really being totally normal and stuff, and then suddenly he started telling me about how he’s been trying to plan things for Harry’s birthday and how he knows Harry’s being suspicious and stuff because he’s been coming home later and… I mean, it _is_ Harry’s birthday soon, isn’t it? He didn’t make that up?”

“No, he… he didn’t, hmm… “ Niall had been listening quite intently, narrowing his eyes a bit before shaking his head slightly, as if he was trying to get rid of a thought he had had, his facial expression slowly becoming more relaxed though. “That… that actually makes sense. Did he tell you just like that? I mean, you didn’t ask him anything that would have forced him to talk himself out of something?”

“No, nothing, he was just talking about how he thought I was mad at him for not calling or texting me back and that it’s because he’s been busy with planning Harry’s birthday.” For a moment there, Liam had almost thought that Niall was going to say he didn’t believe what Louis had said, but then the blonde nodded a bit, looking kind of relieved and the brunette was sure he had only imagined his boyfriend’s moment of doubt.

“Oh. I mean… that’s… good. I mean… none of the other stuff would have added up anyways, right? And if he was being completely normal and stuff… then Harry’s probably really freaking out over nothing at all, I… shit, now I’m gonna have to keep even _more_ secrets from him!” Groaning a bit, Niall leaned his head back against the seat and Liam allowed himself to laugh, leaning across the seats in order to kiss the blonde’s cheek. 

“But at least now we know nothing will happen to either of them.” That was at least something, honestly, maybe Liam should have still told Louis about what was going on but… that could wait. “And now you gotta tell me what’s going on.”

“Right, I almost forgot… “ There was a deep sigh and Niall blew some air out of his mouth before rolling his head around to look at Liam, the smile having been switched with a bit of a frown that Liam would have done anything to replace. “So… it’s actually… not a big deal at all, but… my mother called me today, she was a bit mad, because, you know… I never call her back, because… I don’t have much to say. So anyways, uh… the thing is that… my family wants to… they want to come visit.”

“When?” Liam tried to sound casually even though he knew that Niall absolutely hated the idea just by looking at his face. Niall’s family was probably the blonde’s least favorite topic, or at least it seemed like it because he always seemed to brush it off, giving very cut off answers and so Liam had learned not to ask too much.

“Umm… next weekend. I tried to say no and… mum said they already had the tickets, and then she asked me if I had to work and stuff and I was going to say yes but like… if they’re in town the whole weekend, I… I can’t pretend to be at work all the time. So… “ So he would have to go meet up with them and Liam could tell by the look on the blonde’s face that that was the very last thing he wanted to do.

“Do you… do you want me to come?” He asked, not very sure about that question, but… how else would he have offered his support?

Niall looked at him for a moment longer before his eyes shifted down to their intertwined hands resting on his thigh, again sighing a bit. “I don’t know… it’s not … it’s got nothing to do with you. I just… there’s a reason, y’know… why I never go home. I mean… it’s not that they… were so horrible to me, although they were at times, but… anyways, I know what it’s gonna be like, because it’s _always_ the same when I see them and… I don’t want you to have to be there and experience it first-hand. Besides… they’re not a family you’d want your boyfriend to meet.”

“Babe, I’ll be wherever you want me to be, okay? Don’t worry about me, I don’t care what your family is like, if you want me to be there, I’ll be there, simple as that. You’ve had to see my parents quite a few times as well and we both survived that even if it’s been horrible.” Then again, their parents were probably the complete opposite from what Liam had gathered, so he probably shouldn’t have making any assumptions.

Niall didn’t answer immediately, he just kept looking at their hands, watched Liam’s thumb slowly rubbing circles into the back of his and when he lifted his head, his voice had gotten more quiet. “I… I think I want you to be there.”

“Okay, I will.” Liam promised immediately because… was that even a question?

“Thank you… “ The blonde half whispered, smiling a bit though and Liam was about to lean over to kiss him when the younger boy suddenly continued. “Just, uh… just one thing though… please… please don’t offer to pay, for anything, okay? And also, umm… can we… can we maybe pretend that… that you’ve got a, um… a job that pays normal wages?”

“Of course we can, babe… why though?” Actually, Liam had to bite the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t laugh, which would have been highly inappropriate, but Niall was just so fucking adorable asking this. 

“Because… my brother… just don’t mention that you have money, okay? Or just… don’t talk to him any more than necessary, he’s… he’s crazy. Seriously.” All of a sudden, the blonde had gotten really serious as well and Liam was kinda amused but also kinda worried and confused. “When we were kids… or actually, even when we were already teenagers, we used to like… beat each other up a lot and… we never got along. Not a day in our lives and… he never changed, you know? And then my parents are divorced, so they don’t really get along either, so when everyone’s together, it’s… it’s a mess. So I really understand if you wanna pull out still, Harry’s gonna be there as well so I won’t be alone, if… if you don’t wanna come.”

“Baby, if you want me to be there, I’ll be there, like I said, okay?” Liam wasn’t amused in any way anymore, because he had noticed just how much this got to Niall, how little he wanted to do this, so seeing relief spreading across his face as he nodded, Liam felt his heart breaking a bit. “Hey… c’mere.”

Niall didn’t have to be told twice to wrap his arms around the older man as Liam hugged him tightly over their seats, pressing his lips into the younger’s hair and rocking them a bit, rubbing the younger’s back at the same time in an attempt to calm him down because he seemed to be shaking a tiny bit against the brunette. 

“Everything’s gonna be okay, Nialler, I promise. You just have to see them one time and I’ll be there with you and Harry will be there and no matter what happens, once it’s over we’ll just forget about it and go home, yeah? And we’ll just do nothing for the rest of the day and just lie on the couch and watch a film or something, okay? Unless you wanna do something else, I’d be okay with that, anything you want, baby boy.” Literally anything, Liam was desperate to cheer his boy up, to make him feel just the tiniest bit better, because that was his job after all. Also, it was fucking terrible to see the younger boy being sad or down. 

“No, I… I’d like that... I’ll make sure to tell them that we don’t have much time and… maybe… maybe it won’t be too bad, you know, I… I haven’t seen them in… in almost a year, I think, that’s… that’s actually the longest I’ve gone without going home, so maybe… maybe it’ll be different this time. And with you being there as well… “ He seemed to only wanting to talk it better for himself, which was fine though, whatever made him feel better. “I’m sorry, I… I’m probably overreacting, I mean… ‘s just my family, right?”

“You’re not overreacting, baby, if that’s how you feel then that’s how you feel, period. And just because they’re your family doesn’t mean you have to want to see them or even keep in touch, okay? You’re an adult, you don’t have to spend time with people who drag you down.” Then again, maybe Liam should have taken that advice as well, but… it’s not like he disliked his parents, he just wasn’t so keen on seeing them very often.

“I know… I still love them though, and I do wanna see them, you know? I just… I’m not… I’m not keen on the drama and the fights and… and my brother. And… anyways, you’ll see what I mean… “ He was clinging so tightly to Liam that it almost hurt, his fingers buried in the brunette’s jacket, face pressed between his shoulder and neck. “Thank you for coming… “

“Don’t thank me, you know I’d do anything for you, Nialler.” Liam kept kissing the blonde’s head for a while, just holding him because the younger boy didn’t seem to be ready to let go just yet. “I love you. So, so, so much, it’s unreal.”

“I love you too, Li… more than anything.” Niall whispered back, causing the older man’s stomach to grow warm as he smiled into the blonde hair, squeezing his boyfriend even tighter if any possible. 

They kept holding onto each other for quite a while, Liam waited until Niall was the one who pulled away first, wiping a bit at his eyes and Liam almost pulled him back into another hug had the blonde not told him that he was fine, offering a smile that barely convinced the brunette. The drive back to Liam’s place was quiet, which was mostly because Niall seemed to be really tired, he did tell Liam a bit about his classes and an assignment he had to hand in in a few days, playing with the brunette’s hand which he held tightly in his lap, in between both of his.

After a while though, Liam could tell that Niall was about to drift off, he leaned his head against the window after about 15 minutes and by the time they were there, he had fallen deeply asleep. Which was completely fine, no one was there and Liam could easily carry the blonde to the elevator, trying to move him as little as possible, but luckily Niall immediately adjusted, wrapping his arms around the brunette in his sleep.

All Liam could think of when he lowered Niall into his bed was that even though quite a few shitty things were happening to them lately, it was only half as bad for as long as they had each other to lean on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone :D
> 
> a bit of an earlier update because i dont know if id be able to do it at the usual time!!!
> 
> hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter, especially because we all finally know whats going on with liams dad! hopefully youre all eager to know whats going to happen and please let me know what you thought id love to hear yall thoughts on this chapter :)


	15. Chapter 15

Liam had been lying awake for what seemed like hours already and yet somehow still hadn‘t felt the urge to get up or even move. He knew he’d probably be forced to go to the bathroom in a bit, but for now he was still very much happy with simply staring at Niall while the younger boy was deeply asleep. 

This was not the first time Liam had woken up in the morning without feeling an urge to go to sleep because watching his boyfriend sleep was very entertaining for some reason. It’s not that he moved a lot or talked in his sleep very often, it was just seeing his relaxed face, the way he would try to cuddle closer into Liam sometimes, aware of his presence even while he was passed out.

Honestly, it was probably the best thing ever.

The brunette knew he would be forced to wake Niall soon if they didn’t wanna be late, but he pushed that into the back of his head for now, not being able to resist the urge to brush his fingers through the blonde’s hair, down his cheek. Niall was so bloody gorgeous, even with his hair completely messed up and his lips chapped and the fact that he sometimes drooled in his sleep. Maybe it was because of all these things that Liam couldn’t seem to look away.

“Hmm… “ Niall stirred a bit after Liam had leaned down to kiss his forehead, very softly though and barely even touching him. The older man had propped himself up on his elbow, not really being able to move a lot though because Niall’s head was still on his arm. “…tickles.”

“Sorry.” Liam whispered against the younger’s skin, though he wasn’t sure if Niall could even hear him, holding back a chuckle as he continued pressing butterfly soft kisses across the younger’s face because it was almost time for him to get up anyways. Liam could at least try to make it as bearable as possible. 

Brushing his thumb over Niall’s cheek with his free hand, Liam felt the younger boy leaning into his touch, his face looking anything but disturbed. Actually, he looked quite peaceful and not at all as if Liam’s gentle strokes and kisses were bothering him. Which wasn’t particularly a good thing though because if he didn’t wake up by himself, which he almost never did, Liam would be forced to help.

“Hey, baby… “ The older man half whispered while threading his fingers through Niall’s hair, moving his arm a little bit that the younger boy was lying on. “It’s almost time to wake up, Ni… “

Instead of Niall actually waking up though, the younger boy just whined a little bit before turning onto his side, pressing his face into Liam’s arm and had the brunette not absolutely hated having to disturb his boy’s sleep, he might have found it a little bit amusing. “Five more minutes… “

“Okay, love... go back to sleep.” Liam agreed immediately because they definitely had those five more minutes, the problem was just… it surely wouldn’t stay at that. 

Just because the thought of actually getting out of bed and having to live through today seemed like too much work, Liam very carefully rolled back down onto his back, pulling his sleeping boyfriend with him by protectively wrapping his arms around him. Niall adjusted immediately though, his arm wrapping around Liam’s stomach, face pushed into the crook of his neck, probably not even having woken up during the movement.

It was Saturday, meaning the day that they had to meet Niall’s parents and… probably the very last thing on the list of things Niall wanted to do. Though it had been a good week considering the fact that things with Louis had gotten back to normal and that Harry had apparently told Niall that he thought he had overreacted last week, the prospect of what was going to happen today had very obviously not left the blonde’s mind anymore.

He had at some point even tried to find an excuse as to why it would be impossible for him to go, had told Liam they should pretend to have overslept or even fake an accident. Though the older man didn’t actually care what Niall’s family thought about him, he was very well aware that those were just Niall’s nerves going through with him, so he had been trying all week long to calm his boyfriend down, tell him it won’t be that bad, promising him all sorts of things that they could be doing after this was over.

Honestly though, in the light of recent events, this right here did not seem like one of the biggest problems they could have. Then again… Liam didn’t know Niall’s family, he didn’t know what exactly it was that caused Niall to freak out like this, all he knew was that no matter what it was, he was going to make sure that the younger boy felt as comfortable as possible. At least after this was over they’d hopefully not have to worry so much anymore about whatever the people they knew were up to. 

After ten minutes of stroking his hand up and down Niall’s bare back and feeling the younger boy breathing evenly against his skin, Liam turned his head a bit to be able to look at his nightstand, reaching out with his free hand in order to check the time on his phone. Sighing as he saw that they definitely needed to get up now, he turned his head back towards Niall again, until his lips were pressed against the younger’s forehead. 

“Niall… we gotta get up, love, I’m sorry.” Pressing small kisses against his skin, Liam tried to move them a bit but Niall wouldn’t let him, he just made himself heavier on top of the brunette, one of his legs moving over the older man’s underneath the blanket. “Baby, we’re gonna be late.”

“Don’t care… Harry can keep ‘em company… “ Niall mumbled into Liam’s neck and the older man felt really bad for having to force the blonde to do this, but… he knew it was what Niall wanted, he wanted to meet up with his family, had even said so multiple times, he just had his moments of doubt. 

“C’mon, we can’t leave him hanging like this.” Liam tried to convince Niall, still having his lips against his boyfriend’s forehead, his hand resting on the back of his head. “See it in a more positive way, we’ll get something to eat.”

“’m not hungry.” The blonde replied, of course, and Liam tried not to smile. “Although… “

“Although what?” A little bit confused as to why the blonde suddenly started to move, Liam only had like two seconds to take in Niall’s sleepy face before the younger boy was suddenly kissing him on the mouth.

This wasn’t weird, of course, it just got slightly weird when the younger boy immediately deepened the kiss and tried to move more on top of Liam. Right, he definitely did not have a simple good morning kiss in mind, did he?

“Babe… we really gotta get up.” Liam absolutely hated himself for having to interrupt the blonde, cupping his cheek softly and trying to somehow keep Niall from kissing him again, because… god, he wouldn’t have been able to turn this boy down had they continued. 

“But I wanna kiss you.” Niall whined and maybe it was because he had only just woken up or because he just knew how to get Liam, the older man gave in easily after rolling his eyes, briefly seeing the triumphant smile on his boyfriend’s face before he fitted their mouths back together. 

It was way more heated than it should have been considering they should have already been getting dressed, but Liam just couldn’t help himself. They were both naked underneath the blanket, so it was fairly easy for Niall to turn a simple kiss into a full on make out session as he slipped his tongue into the older’s mouth, probably purposely moving his hips against the older man’s, his hand rubbing up and down his bare chest. 

“Niall… “ Liam tried to warn the blonde one more time, honestly really, really tried to convince himself to just stop this and do what he knew they were supposed to do, but… hearing Niall whine and immediately trying to kiss him again… the older man just couldn’t help himself.

He knew Niall had won when he rolled them around without really thinking about it, the blanket kinda bunching up between them in an awkward way, so Liam was forced to momentarily break the kiss in order to fix it. When he leaned back down over his boyfriend though, between his now spread legs, to plunge his tongue back into the younger’s mouth, there was absolutely no going back. 

Morning sex was definitely very high on Liam’s list, when Niall was all soft and needy and smelled so much like himself, just wanting to be close to the brunette and clinging to him for dear life. Liam tried to drag it out, tried to slow down their kisses but Niall was suddenly biting his bottom lip and whining impatiently into his mouth, wringing underneath him and tugging on his hair.

“Li… please… need you… “ Niall half mumbled against the older man’s swollen lips, already growing hard between their bodies where they were pressed together, rubbing against one another with every single movement. 

Liam thought for a moment about doing it just like this, just rubbing and pushing against Niall until they both came, but he soon realized it wasn’t really what he wanted so he was forced to break the kiss once more, taking in his boyfriend’s flushed face and spit slicked lips. “You sure?”

“Yes… god.” The younger boy rolled his eyes as Liam smirked and leaned back down only to briefly kiss the blonde’s mouth before placing two of his own fingers against the younger’s lips, not saying anything because he knew that Niall knew what he wanted anyways.

Watching the younger boy sucking on his fingers was almost obscene. He always did it in a way as if he was sucking Liam’s cock, eyes rolling into the back of his head, his tongue all slippers and hot against Liam’s skin and the pressure of Niall’s erection against his own making him even harder than he had already been. 

“Okay… that’s enough, love… “ Honestly, Liam could have watched forever and he was sure that Niall was very well aware of that because he smirked as Liam pulled his now wet fingers out of Niall’s mouth, feeling the younger boy spreading his legs a bit more as Liam moved his hand down between them.

The angle wasn’t really the best, but they had done it like this so many times that Liam easily found the younger’s hole, suppressing a groan when both his fingers slid in so fucking easily because they had been fucking only hours ago before going to bed. 

“Alright?” Liam still made sure to check as he gently moved his fingers inside the blonde, stretching him while closely watching his boyfriend’s face, just to be sure that he wasn’t in any pain. 

“Y-Yes… fuck… jus’… get on with it… _aaah_ … “ Niall moaned as Liam’s fingers brushed against his prostate and the older man just smirked down at him, feeling all warm and fuzzy from making his boyfriend feel so good.

He didn’t take as long to prep Niall as he would have had they not had sex in a day, Liam only added a third finger for a bit, scissoring them apart until Niall was starting to whine and beg again, his fingernails scratching against the older man’s skin in a way that almost hurt. Only almost though. 

The brunette would have asked if Niall was ready as he retracted his fingers, however, the younger boy had been cursing him for at least two minutes now and his breathing had gotten kinda panicky, clearly telling Liam that he needed to hurry up if he still wanted to get something going before the blonde would burst.

Grabbing a hold of himself, Liam briefly looked down between their bodies as he gave himself a few measured jerks, spreading both Niall’s saliva and the lube that was now on his fingers from prepping the boy with it last night. Niall’s chest was heaving as Liam rubbed the head of his erection against his rim, only slowly pushing in while looking back down at the blonde, just to make sure Niall wasn’t in any pain.

“Fuck… “ The younger boy whined as Liam rested his forehead against his, their breath mixing as he pushed in deeper inside the younger boy, trying to hold back even though feeling Niall pressing around him like this, all tight and hot, made it pretty fucking hard to not just go for it. “Move… p-please…. Liam, please… _please_ …“

“Shhh, it’s okay, baby, I’m taking care of you, relax.” It took all the strength Liam had to force his voice to sound soft and calming once he was buried to the rim inside his boyfriend, rubbing his nose against the younger boy’s before kissing him once more, gently because even though this had turned out heated, he now wanted it to last. 

After the first few thrusts, Liam couldn’t help but build a rather fast and steady rhythm, pushing himself deep inside the younger boy while Niall groaned into his mouth until their lips slipped from each other and the blonde was filling the air with his moans, of course encouraging Liam to fuck him even harder. 

“Oh my g-god… L-Liam… h-harder… please… r-right there… don’t s-stop… aaah… _yeah_ … “ Niall was so gone after only a few minutes, Liam could barely even look at him without having to slow down just so he wouldn’t come just yet, instead sucking on the younger’s neck, licking and nibbling at the sensitive skin, already bruised from last night but he didn’t at all mind going over them again, just to be sure they really stayed.

“You feel so g-good, baby… so fuckin’ good… “ Liam was kinda really glad that Niall wasn’t calling him daddy today and being all submissive but instead demanding that Liam fucked him harder right now, wrapping his legs around the back of the older man’s thighs in order to keep him closer.

Obviously, they had both been turned on way too quickly as for this to last very long and as Liam started hitting Niall’s prostate with almost every single thrust and the bed was bumping slightly against the wall and Niall was almost crying while moaning Liam’s name, the older man knew that there was absolutely no way he could drag this out any longer. 

“C’mon… come for me, Ni… c’mon.” Wrapping a hand around the younger boy’s erection trapped between them, Liam only barely moved his fist before Niall was already spilling over their stomachs and Liam’s hand, clenching so tightly around the older man that it pushed Liam over the edge as well. 

Fucking them both through their orgasms and trying to make it last longer, Liam pressed his lips back against Niall’s, even though he already saw stars dancing in front of his eyes as he pumped the younger boy full of his cum, barely even able to think straight from the force of his high. Shit, there was absolutely _nothing_ in this entire world that would even come close to what sex with Niall felt like.

“Oh my god… “ Was all Niall said as they were both coming down from it, breathing heavily against one another. “I love you… “

“I love you more… “ Liam mumbled back, feeling in need of some air but before Niall could complain, he made sure to kiss the younger boy properly again, not wanting to let go of this moment just yet or pull out. If he could have, he would have stayed right here like this forever. 

They were forced to pull apart after only a few seconds of sharing a messy kiss and Liam tried not to put his entire weight on top of Niall as he buried his face in the pillow next to Niall’s head, feeling the younger’s arms wrapping more tightly around him while they both just tried to catch their breaths. 

There was no way now that they wouldn’t be coming too late, but every inch of Liam’s body was against getting up right now and in all honesty, he couldn’t have cared less anymore about meeting Niall’s family. 

“Do we still have to get up?” Niall asked after a while, his voice having somewhat gone back to normal but it was still quiet, his fingers drawing patterns on Liam’s bare back and shoulder blade.

“We don’t _have_ to.” Liam was numbed by the pillow, feeling slightly bad for not trying harder to make them get out of bed, it’s just… how could he have? “Only if you want to, baby.”

“Hmmm… “ Was all the blonde made after that and Liam almost thought that maybe Niall would just decide that they shouldn’t go, already trying to think of ways to figure out whether his boyfriend really did not wanna go or whether he was just too nervous. “I do wanna go, but… I’d rather just lie here with you than having to become involved in some stupid drama again.” 

Waiting for a few seconds, Liam forced himself to lift his head again, leaning onto his elbows as he looked down at the younger boy, into his blue eyes, brushing his fringe out of his face. “Tell you what, we can come back and lie here until Monday morning afterwards, we don’t have to move an inch. Except maybe to go the bathroom and get some food once a while, how’s that sound?”

“Good… “ Niall returned Liam’s smile, kissing him back as the older man leaned down once more, but his face was still worried as they pulled apart. “I just… I just hope nothing bad happens that’ll drag me down all day long or something… I don’t wanna… waste any more thoughts on my family when I could be spending them on you instead.”

“You’re so cute, baby… honestly. But don’t worry, okay? If it gets bad or if… whatever happens, we just go, yeah? We just walk right out and that’s it, no need for an explanation or anything, just tell me if you wanna leave and we will.” Well, they’d probably have to take Harry as well because Liam had told him that he could drive him over to Louis’ afterwards, but… Liam could live with that. “Okay?”

“Okay… “ The blonde agreed after hesitating a little bit, but he was smiling as he stretched his head a bit in order to kiss Liam’s cheek, his fingers curled into the hair in the back of his neck. “Thank y-“

“Don’t thank me, Niall. I just want you to be alright and I don’t want anybody dragging you down, even if it’s your family, no one’s allowed to make you feel bad and I’ll make sure they won’t.” Hell, Liam was so ready to shut anybody who tried to pick on Niall down immediately, like, honestly, this boy was his entire world, he wasn’t gonna sit there and watch anybody make him sad. “You think you’re ready to get up now?”

“I think… I think we can try.” Niall shrugged a bit and Liam was very well aware of the younger’s eyes stuck to his face and the very fond expression on his face even as Liam tried to pull out of him in the gentlest way possible. God, if only there was a way to make sure Niall never ever doubted that Liam would do anything for him, that he would give up everything just to be with him.

 

\---------------

 

“Harry texted me like five times, he’s really pissed.” They were 25 minutes late already but honestly, Liam had never been calmer. “Apparently my brother already ordered because he couldn’t wait.”

“Well, we _are_ late, so… “ Liam tried, immediately regretting it though when he briefly looked over as he stopped the car at a red light and saw the expression on his boyfriend’s face while he was typing on his phone. “Hey… it’ll be alright.”

“Yeah… “ Was all Niall said, still lacing his fingers through Liam’s though as the older man’s hand came to a rest on his thigh, putting his phone away with a sigh. “I just… I haven’t even… I haven’t even thought about how to introduce you to everyone.”

“I can just drop you off and-“

“No! If you don’t go in there with me, I’m not gonna do it either. Honestly, if you hadn’t offered to come, I would have long cancelled, probably on the same day.” Niall sounded very serious about that and Liam squeezed his hand as he drove on, trying to figure out whether it was a good or a bad thing that he was the reason why Niall wanted to do this. “I just… you know, what do I say? Do we just walk in holding hands? What if Harry already said something? I didn’t even tell my mum that I would bring someone, plus they don’t even know you exist in the first place.” 

“So they… they are not wondering why you reserved a table for one extra person?” Okay, maybe Liam was a little bit nervous all of a sudden too, but then again, he was good with people he didn’t know or didn’t like or both, it was part of his job. Then again, this was his boyfriend’s family, shouldn’t he have cared at least a little bit if they liked him or not?

“I don’t even know… oh god, I really didn’t think this through. What if they start asking really personal questions? What if… oh my god, Liam… what if they _know_ you?!” Now Niall was really losing it.

“Why would they know me, babe?” It’s not like he was a celebrity or something.

“I don’t know, maybe… maybe they know your dad, I’m pretty sure my brother has taken drugs more than once in his life, or maybe… maybe they are using the apps you invented.” No one could blame Liam for having to laugh at that, only very briefly though because he felt bad and because he knew Niall was just freaking out because he was so nervous. 

“Even if they were, which I’m pretty sure they aren’t, then they still wouldn’t know me just from seeing me walk through the door. Besides, I thought we agreed we were gonna tell them that I work at the golf center as well?” Which hadn’t sounded like a good idea to Liam at all because there were so many ways that this lie could have gone wrong, but Niall had said they needed a story of them meeting, and since they HAD met in the golf center… 

“Yeah, I know, just… god, this is gonna go so bloody wrong, I can already feel it. If I hadn’t forced you to wear the oldest clothes you own, I wouldn’t feel bad about wanting to turn back around right now.” It was true, Liam was wearing the jeans he had stopped using after he had torn a hole in them years ago and a normal hoodie with some band logo on that he wouldn’t have wanted anybody he knew to see or ask him about. Then again, it’s not like he felt uncomfortable or anything, it was surely better than wearing a suit. 

“Baby, it’s going to be okay, I promise. If you really feel like you can’t do it then let me know, and don’t feel bad about the clothes because I honestly don’t mind.” He squeezed the boy’s hand a bit tighter as he pulled into the street where the place was where they’d meet up with Niall’s family and Harry. 

“You look really hot in the clothes, but… I still feel bad. For making you do this in general and for… having you lie about your job and-“

“Niall, it’s fine, I promise. Don’t worry about me right now, yeah? Let’s just do this and I’m sure it’s going to be half as bad.” Not that Liam could really know that, but he was running out of things to say and he was already pulling into an empty parking spot, relieved when he could finally turn the engine off and look over at his boyfriend. “Are you ready?”

“No. But I’ll never be ready, so… “ Niall shrugged, letting out a half choked laugh before pulling his hand out of Liam’s and getting out of the car, leaving the older man behind to just sigh as he followed.

The blonde did allow him to take his hand once more as they walked across the parking lot, terribly slowly because Niall was the one who was deciding on the speed and Liam wanted to say a thousand things to the boy, but he swallowed them all down because he could tell Niall was lost deep in thoughts, torturing his bottom lip between his teeth.

It was right before they went inside that Niall suddenly stopped walking, clutching Liam’s hand tightly in his own and the older man squeezed his fingers as he stood in front of the boy, worriedly studying his face as he waited for the blonde to say something. “Ni?”

“It’s fine, just… one second.” He took a deep breath, not looking at the older man but not complaining either when Liam kissed his forehead and pulled him into a brief but rather tight hug. 

“I love you.” Liam mumbled into Niall’s hair, knowing that it wouldn’t help the boy but he just wanted him to know, just in case it made him feel a tiny bit better.

“I love you too.” Niall answered without hesitation before sighing a bit, pulling out of the older man’s arms and instead intertwining their fingers once more, again biting his bottom lip as he looked into Liam’s eyes. “Can we… can we maybe… not hold hands when we walk up to them? Just because… I don’t wanna be… too much into everyone’s face.”

“Whatever you want, love.” Honestly, there was no need for Niall to explain himself, Liam just smiled at him before kissing his lips briefly, not moving though because he was waiting for the younger boy to decide when he was ready. 

They were so late that those few more minutes didn’t matter anymore, but when they walked into the restaurant, Liam could feel Niall tensing up terribly as he scanned the tables before his eyes got stuck on one of them and the first thing Liam saw was Harry’s glare from almost all the way across the room. He would have found it slightly amusing, had Niall not looked like he might throw up all over himself any second.

“Is it too late to run?” Niall whispered as they approached his family and Harry, between gritted teeth and Liam kept a reassuring hand on the small of his back, only because no one had spotted them yet besides Harry. Who seemed to not be talking to anybody somehow, but Liam decided that them just sitting there and being quiet and embarrassed was way better than having a fight. 

“I’m afraid so, baby.” Liam whispered back, silently praying that everything was going to go well like he had promised the blonde. And if it didn’t, that he would at least somehow be able to make Niall feel better. 

They were sitting in a weird way around the table, Niall’s mum and dad were sitting next to each other, backs towards them, Harry sitting opposite the blonde’s dad, still glaring at them, and Niall’s brother, who had genuinely already ordered, sitting on one long end of the table, between his dad and Harry. So Liam was probably going to have to sit opposite him, so Niall could be between him and Harry and wouldn’t have to see too much of his brother. 

The moment Niall got ready to say something as they were only a few feet away, Liam could feel his own heart skip a bit, dropping his hand from Niall’s back because the blonde had wanted to be subtle after all. 

“Hey, guys, sorry for… for being so late.” Niall only choked once, all eyes immediately on them as they stopped in front of the table and Liam had no bloody idea what to expect the few seconds they just stood there, waiting. 

“Oh, Niall!” His mother immediately jumped out of her chair to pull the blonde into a hug, something which seemed to be a lot nicer than Liam would have expected, but judging by the forced smile on Niall’s dad’s face and the look of complete ignorance on his brother’s… maybe Liam wasn’t so sure anymore. “We haven’t ordered yet… well, Greg has, but you know… he was so hungry and we haven’t had breakfast today.”

“It’s fine, um… don’t worry.” Niall seemed rather tense as they pulled apart, the smile on his face rather small and Liam wasn’t surprised in any way that he only greeted his dad with a nod.

“It’s so good to see you love, look at you, it seems like you’ve grown so much in just one year. And who is this young man, have you been keeping secrets from your mother?” She laughed and Liam quickly decided that she was probably the nicest person in Niall’s family, politely returning her smile as he shook her hand.

“That’s Liam, he’s… “ Niall stopped, faking a cough and then saying the words in a rush, almost making them inaudible. Not to his mum though. “…my boyfriend.”

“Your boyfriend?! Since when?! You didn’t say a word!” His mother complained, staring between Liam and Niall as if they both had grown two extra sets of heads. “Bobby, did you hear that?! He’s got a _boyfriend_!”

“How nice.” Niall’s dad half grunted, greeting Liam with a nod of his head and he didn’t seem like he was angry, just as if he didn’t care at all. 

Before anybody could say another word, before Liam or Niall or Niall’s mother could even sit down, it was Niall’s brother who spoke up, fake confusion in his words, trying to hide a very stupid grin. “So wait… all the three of you are fags?”

Liam tried to think of a comeback, he honestly tried, but his mind just went blank and for some reason he just looked at Harry, who was looking back at him with his arms crossed in front of his chest, raising his eyebrows at Liam as if to say ‘And you’ve left me alone with this for 30 minutes’. Now Liam felt kinda terrible.

“Greg!” Niall’s mother glared at her older son, but there was nothing else, no one said anything, maybe because Greg was surely older than Liam or at least looked like it and he probably wouldn’t have cared about getting scolded. No, they all just let it slip and Niall looked kinda green. “Sit down boys, we’ve got so much to catch up on.”

The first few minutes weren’t actually THAT terrible, Liam just sat there trying to avoid meeting Greg’s eyes while Niall’s mother did all of the talking, asking 100 questions at the speed of light and Niall answered all of them while Liam tried to help him. Sometimes Harry would throw something in or Niall’s dad, but no one was really contributing much to the conversation, especially not Niall’s brother. Well, now at least Liam knew why Niall had suggested he should try to ignore his brother, which was kinda hard, because… he was sitting right _there_.

“So how did you two meet? I still can’t believe you haven’t told me sooner, Niall, you didn’t even tell me you were bringing someone.” She honestly did sound kind of offended and maybe Liam would have understood that had he not suspected that maybe Niall and his mother didn’t always get on like this, that there was a very good reason why the blonde kept that distance between them. 

“Liam… he works at the golf course as well, so… that’s how we met.” This was commented by a weird look from Harry, but the boy obviously didn’t say anything. Then again, had he expected Niall to tell the full story? About Liam paying Niall for sex?

“Oh, really? That’s so great, Niall, I always knew that that golf place was the right thing for you. But I hope you’re not distracting each other at work? You still want to become a professional player, don’t you? And what about you, Liam?” She had never asked how old Liam was, or how to address him, and Liam had a feeling that she was just going to treat them both as if they were still children or teenagers at most, because that’s what it felt like.

“Yeah, I…. I haven’t really thought about it that much. I’m… I’m not as good as Niall, so.” Liam said in an attempt to make the blonde smile, but instead, the only one who commented it was Greg, who snorted across the table, having ordered another meal because he had already been finished by the time everyone else’s had arrived.

“Jesus, you must suck balls at golf then. Niall’s not even that good, it was just the only sport they didn’t kick him off. Right, Niall? God, remember when you thought you could make the football team? Christ, that was embarrassing, the whole school was talking about how you shot that ball right into the coach’s face.” Greg let out a throaty laugh while shoveling more food into his mouth and Liam almost couldn’t believe it, but Niall’s parents were smiling as if it was a nice story, as if they thought the memory was actually worth sharing. 

“It wasn’t like that, I-“

“Sure it was, there even was a video of him screaming at you. Don’t you remember how much you cried like baby?” Niall’s mouth immediately shut after that and he turned his head away from his brother, his mother clearly about to say something and probably make it even worse because she seemed to like backing her older son up with whatever bullshit he blurted out.

So before anybody could say anything, Liam simply decided to take matters into his own hand. “So, Greg, what do you do?” 

Actually, the question wasn’t even coming out of nowhere considering they had been talking tons about Niall and Liam and obviously, everybody knew Harry, so Liam was actually genuinely curious to hear what Niall’s older brother did for a living. He looked older than Liam, but the brunette wasn’t quite sure, to be honest, his only aim was to embarrass the other man, make him regret the moment he had thought of making fun of Niall in front of Liam.

“I work at Tesco.” He simply answered, though there had been some slight hesitation, which maybe had come from the fact that he had been surprised about Liam addressing him so directly.

“Yeah and he got promoted, didn’t you, honey?” Niall’s mother chirped up and Liam saw Harry rolling his eyes briefly and Niall picking up his glass yet again in order to hide his face. Instead of realizing though that maybe nobody and especially Liam didn’t care, Maura turned to Liam as if she thought that she was giving him essential information. “He used to do the cleaning, but now he’s in the bread section.”

“Amazing.” It just slipped out, Liam couldn’t help the slight sarcasm, causing Harry to snort and Niall to half spit his coke back into his glass. And, of course, it also brought him a pretty icy glare from across the table.

“Well, Liam, what do you do except my brother? And shooting a few balls? Always thought that was more a part time job for college kids, but… how old are you, actually?” Right, in case Liam really hadn’t known why Niall had been hesitant about him coming along… now Liam knew it. Honestly, he was so fucking close to just hinting that he had a lot of money, making up some story about having inherited or some shit, just to shut Greg up, but Niall would have gotten angry with him, so the brunette simply smiled because he did have a really good job, a better one than Niall’s brother would ever have. 

“I’m 27 and actually it’s really funny that you said that, because for my part time job in college, I used to wipe the floors at Sainsbury’s. How old are you, mid-thirties?” Oh, Liam was having so much fun here, watching Niall’s brother almost exploding across the table while he himself easily remained a smile. He wasn’t the one with a shitty job and a shitty life after all.

“You think you’re real funny, huh? Seems like Niall to let himself get fucked by some older dude, wouldn’t be the first time.” This was definitely not something Liam would have ever expected anybody to say in front of their parents, but looking over at them, they seemed to be highly uncomfortable without any intentions of saying anything. Something was definitely wrong with these people, also, was Greg trying to make it look like Niall was with older men all the time? How would he even know anyways, if he never saw the blonde? Did he honestly think Liam would fall for that?

“Shut your fucking mouth, Greg, you’ve got no idea who I’ve slept with.” Niall spoke up before Liam could say something else, almost spitting the words at his brother who just grinned at him, a grin Liam would have expected to see on a 10 year-old ratting out his younger sibling rather than a grown ass man. 

“Niall, watch your language.” Niall’s mother almost immediately added, honestly sounding mad at her son and Liam couldn’t believe that she would try to discipline Niall for saying fuck when Greg…

“What? Did you not hear what Greg just-“

“That’s enough.” Was all she said and Niall looked like he was going to say something else but then he simply closed his mouth and lowered his eyes, as if he was still a child, picking at his food and Liam so badly wanted to just make things right and defend the boy, but… would he have actually helped? Or just done more harm than good?

So instead of saying something, Liam reached out to place his hand on Niall’s knee underneath the table, seeing the corner of the younger’s mouth twitch a bit, but that was it really. Liam felt really terrible now, had he known what they were getting themselves into, he might have… prepared himself better or something, or tried to talk Niall out of it, but… it was obvious what was going on, what had possibly been going on all of Niall’s life, and knowing that there was actually nothing Liam could have done felt pretty damn terrible. And he had thought his family was bad.

Nobody spoke for a while, it would have been uncomfortable had it not been such a relief. Liam tried really hard to come up with a topic, to either embarrass Greg or make Niall look good in front of his parents, but it was actually Harry who broke the silence, clearly also simply trying to somehow make things better for Niall. “So, uh… my parents wanted me to tell you hi from them, I forgot to mention before.”

“Oh, how are they doing? Are you going home to visit often?” Niall’s mother immediately had her smile back on, as if before had never even happened and Liam slowly got the feeling that it was all just show. 

“Yeah, I do, actually.” Liam noticed the way Niall looked at Harry, briefly, as if he was surprised, as if his friend wasn’t telling the truth, and then Harry continued, all calmly and natural. “Me ‘n Niall have actually just visited them a week ago.”

“Really? You didn’t even tell me that, Ni.” Okay, Harry was clearly lying, probably to make Niall’s parents feel bad that Niall rather went home to other people’s families and… it seem to worked, at least on his mother. 

“Yeah, I… forgot, we’re there all the time, so…” Niall lied, shrugging, but his expression didn’t seem to be too down anymore, which was a good thing because Liam had feared that Harry was just making it all worse. 

“All the time?” His mother asked, clearly hurt now and the blonde just shrugged again and Liam was trying really hard not to look too amused.

“Yeah, pretty much. Why?” He asked as if he didn’t know and he was really good at pretending like he didn’t, Liam was actually very proud of his boy right now but he still had the urge to say something to help because he had been so useless before.

“Oh, I was just… you barely ever come home to visit us, I thought you said you had a lot to do at uni and at work.” Niall’s mum was clearly hurt but she also seemed the tiniest bit angry with her son, something which Niall didn’t really seem to care about though, because again everything he did was shrug. “Next thing you tell me you’ve already met Liam’s parents as well.”

“Oh, he has, ages ago, they love him.” Liam quickly jumped in, smiling politely and actually enjoying the way her face seemed to fall. 

“One second… how long have you two been together?” She had never asked that before, which Liam had thought was a good thing, but now he actually thought it was the best possible question she could have asked at this point.

“Ummm… a few months. Like… five or six.” The blonde made it sound like it was no big deal, when actually, it very obviously shocked everyone else at the table, with the exception of Harry. 

“Five or six _months_?! And you never said a word to me, Niall?!” Now she seemed truly upset and Liam was slightly worried, not wanting this to escalate or anything. 

“I didn’t think you’d care.” Niall half mumbled, but his face had gotten a little bit red, as if he was maybe regretting this conversation a tiny bit. Liam definitely needed to find a way to help him out of this. 

“I’m your mother, of course I care! How can you say something like that, Niall? And make me look like the bad guy in front of everyone? I’ve done nothing but support you, if it weren’t for me and your father, you wouldn’t even be going to university here!” Alright, this was definitely not the direction Liam had hoped this would go, the people at the table next to them sometimes even turned around to stare, a little bit shocked maybe because Niall’s mother wasn’t exactly whispering. “Unbelievable.”

“Actually… I’m here because I saved my money and-“

“Like hell you did! I can’t believe this, Niall, we always did everything for you and this is how you repay us? You never come to visit anymore and rather visit Harry’s family or your boyfriend’s parents, who you also kept from me for months and… are you even still working at the golf center? Or was that a lie as well? Did you drop out of uni or something? Might as well just say it now.” It was escalating, her nice façade had clearly fallen, from one second to the other, and as Liam looked over, Niall was actually pale as a sheet. Was this what he had been afraid of? His mother yelling at him as if he was a teenager while his father stayed silent and his brother was snickering at the other end of the table? Or was it going to get even worse?

“I didn’t… drop out. And I still work there… “ The blonde’s voice had gotten more quiet, it sounded rather defeated actually and Liam could feel his heart breaking a little bit. 

“Do you only work there because of Liam? I should have known… I always told everyone how good you were doing, Niall, and now… I’m disappointed.” As she said this, Greg actually let out a real laugh, which no one said anything about though because apparently, he was allowed to do everything. 

“Why… why are you… disappointed? At least I’m going to uni, not like G-“

“Don’t, Niall. Your brother has nothing to do with this, at least he’s got a decent job. I cannot believe you, here I was telling everyone you would be a professional golf player and that you are a straight A student and… unbelievable, I thought you’d finally picked up your life and stopped being so goddamn lazy.” She was shaking her head and Liam was really confused as to when Niall’s mother had gotten the impression that her son was lazy, but he was determined to fix that.

“If I may interject… Niall’s an A student and he’s actually one of the best players at the golf course, he always gets the bonus at the end of the month.” Maybe slightly exaggerated, but… why would Liam care? “And he’s definitely not l-“

“Liam, honey, I understand you want to defend him, but this is my son and I’ve known him a little bit longer than you. I understand that you two might be in love and everything, but… trust me, it’s not going to last forever. So please excuse me if I don’t want my son to mess up his life just because he thinks it’s cool and because he wants to impress you or something.” Wow, okay?

“Mom, what… what are you talking about?! You can’t talk to Liam like that, you’ve only just met him and besides-“

“Niall James Horan, you do not tell me what I can and cannot do! If you don’t start behaving immediately I can promise you, you will not see another pound from us in the next few months, so good luck affording your studies here. I should have known, you would have been better off not going to uni, but then again… I doubt anyone would have given you a job with the grades you had in school. Unbelievable, really, I would have never thought that one of my sons could… unbelievable.” She was shaking her head, more to herself than anyone else and Liam was SO close to just telling her to stop sending Niall money then because let’s be honest, Niall didn’t need anyone’s money because he had Liam. 

The silence that fell over all of them yet again was really uncomfortable, though Greg was still happily eating with a smug grin on his face, all Liam could focus on was Niall, the way he was just sitting there, biting his bottom lip. When Liam saw tears welling up in the younger’s eyes, he decided he definitely had enough of this. There was no bloody way that they would make up today, that they could make this undone and Liam wasn’t gonna sit here and wait for Niall’s mother to actually make him cry. 

“You know what… “ Liam started, looking at Niall’s mother and briefly at his dad, who maybe did not agree with his ex-wife, but he had still not interrupted her at any point. “I’m not gonna sit her and listen to you telling lies about Niall, because even though you’ve known him all your life, you actually don’t seem to know him at all. And I don’t care what has happened between all of you, but I’d just like to let you know that I would be more than embarrassed and also hurt if this was my family and I surely would have not agreed to this meeting if I were Niall. All you do is twist everything around to fit to your picture of him being lazy and a failure, when in reality, I think it is your other son who you should be talking to. Trust me, Niall’s gonna be done with uni soon and he’ll do whatever the hell he wants to do because he can, because he doesn’t need your money, and if you wanna stay in his life, maybe you should reconsider everything you’ve just said. Unless, you know, you’d rather stick to your beliefs and keep on insulting your own child and complete strangers in public while your homophobic, thirty-something son sits there with a shit eating grin. It’s your decision but I can assure you that Niall’s already got a family here that he can rely on, sadly enough not his biological one. C’mon, let’s go.”

No one said anything after Liam was done, he simply got up and Niall and Harry didn’t hesitate for even just one second, the blonde keeping his head down as Liam pulled him in with an arm around his waist, not looking back as he led the younger boy towards the entrance. Harry, who seemed on the edge of bursting out into laughter, was behind them, but right before they actually left the place, the youngest boy couldn’t seem to allow Liam’s words to being the last ones spoken.

“Hey, Greg.” He called out, across the whole place, surely making everyone’s head turn and Liam was a second from telling him to just let it be, but he was somehow really glad he didn’t in the end. “Make sure to google ‘Liam Payne’ if your crappy phone has internet. Might change your mind about some things, you know, too bad a faggot has more money than your sorry ass will ever see in his lifetime.”

Harry looked really proud once they had left and were walking to Liam’s car and Liam tried to hide a grin, shaking his head at Harry, who just shrugged though, seemingly feeling very good about himself. Which could not be said about Niall though.

“Babe… are you okay?” Liam was more than just worried as they walked towards his car, Niall wasn’t crying but he looked very much on the verge as he simply shrugged, leaning into the older man, but keeping his hands buried in his pockets, head down. “Ni… “

“’m fine.” Niall finally spoke, but he sounded anything besides fine, obviously, Liam was a fucking idiot for even asking. He really hated the fact that he had to drive Harry over to Louis now before he could talk to Niall alone. 

“I can, uh… wait in the car and give you guys a minute?” Harry offered once they had reached the car and Liam was about to agree, anything just to make sure Niall wasn’t going to stay quiet until they were back at the older man’s apartment, but the blonde almost immediately went for the passenger door as soon as Liam had fumbled his keys out.

“No, it’s okay.” He told his friend and Liam shared a look with Harry before walking around the car, suppressing a sigh because he already knew what was going to happen once they got home. Fuck, he hated Niall’s family for this, but above that, he hated himself for having thought that things would turn out fine, for having _promised_ Niall that it would be fine.

“That was… interesting.” They had all stayed quiet for a bit while Liam had driven the car onto the street and the oldest man had honestly thought they’d all just not say a word when Harry spoke up, probably in an attempt to not make it too awkward. “Why’ve guys been so fucking late anyways? Actually, don’t tell me, I can probably guess why. It was absolute hell though, being alone with them, they all talked so much shit and I swear to god, every time I see Greg, he seems to have gotten even more stupid. You know they asked me if I was seeing someone and I thought, fuck it, so I told them about Louis, right? And your fucking brother had a blast with that, ‘bout me being together with a guy, he called me fag like 5 times under his breath before you guys came and he suddenly decided that he could as well say it out loud. Fucking idiot.”

“Has he, um… always been like this?” Liam asked even though he knew, it just felt rude not to say anything and besides, he was hoping Niall would talk as well, because right now, he was simply leaning his head against the window, his stare kind of empty. Still, he did move his hand over Liam’s though when the older man rested his on the blonde’s knee.

“Ever since I’ve known him, yeah. Fuck, if I’ve had to grow up living with this guy, I would have shot myself in the head or something.” Probably not the best thing to say right now, but Harry was probably just trying to lighten the mood or something. Not that he succeeded. “You shouldn’t even think about it, Niall, you know how they are. We should have just met with your dad, and maybe your mom, and leave Greg somewhere else. If he’s not there things are much more civil.”

“Hm.” Was everything Harry got Niall to say and that’s when he probably decided to give up because they all fell into silence once more and Liam saw Harry playing on his phone when he threw a brief look into the rearview mirror. 

Liam kinda wanted to ask Harry how things were going with Louis, but he didn’t really know how to start that topic and he also didn’t really just wanna ignore what had just happened or ignore the fact that his boyfriend was sitting in the passenger seat as if he didn’t plan on speaking another word ever again. Plus, ever since Liam had found out that Louis had been behaving strangely because of Harry’s birthday, things seemed to have gone back to normal anyways and there had been no more phone calls from the younger boy. Also, if something else had been going on, Harry would have surely told Niall about it, so Liam just needed to calm down probably.

He had much worse problems right now anyways.

It took a while to get to Louis’ because of traffic, Harry thanked Liam for the ride and patted Niall’s shoulder before getting out of the car, loudly throwing the door shut behind himself and plunging them into silence once more that Liam had no idea what to do with. 

“Do you wanna… talk about it?” Liam offered after a few minutes, not really expecting Niall to say yes though and wishing they’d be home sooner so they could talk properly.

“Not really.” Niall shrugged and then he sighed, this time intertwining his fingers with Liam’s though as the older man reached over and Liam tried to take it as a good sign. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Not like Liam had actually been able to prevent Niall from getting sad, or like he had actually made things any better, if anything, Liam being there had actually provoked the whole fight. 

“For… coming along and… defending me.” The blonde sounded serious, not as if he was just saying it to be polite and Liam honestly had no idea what to answer. 

“I wish I… I wish I could have done more. I’m sorry-“

“No, don’t. You couldn’t have done anything, it… it wouldn’t have mattered, what anyone would have said, or… it doesn’t matter.” Niall shrugged again, leaning his head against the window while Liam was desperately trying to say something to cheer the blonde up, but nothing smart would come to his mind.

“I love you.” He said instead, completely out of context, but it was true and he wanted the younger boy to know, just in case.

“I love you too… “ So that was that, their conversation ended right there and Liam quickly decided that he was going to wait until they were home, until he could actually give Niall a cuddle while trying to make it better. Fuck, why was Liam so damn useless today? Maybe because he really had not expected things to go so terribly wrong, he was still shocked about what had happened, about what had been said and… it really made him wonder, how it had been like for Niall growing up like this.

When they got home, they still hadn’t exchanged another word, Liam had been hoping Niall would speak up himself, had also kinda been trying to give him some privacy to think about it while he himself had been thinking of what he was going to say. Right, their whole plans about lying in bed together and just watching a film actually seemed like the dumbest idea ever right now.

“Hey… c’mere.” Liam grabbed a hold of Niall’s arm once they had taken their shoes off, pulling the younger boy into a tight hug. He didn’t wrap his arms around Liam immediately, but when he did, his fingers immediately curled into the material of Liam’s jumper, pressing his face against his neck while the older man just held him, rubbing his back. “I’m so sorry, Niall, I… I had no idea what to expect, but… it certainly wasn’t this. And I… I wish there was a way to make it better, I wish I could have… said more or… I know I wasn’t a very big help.”

“You were… you stood up for me and… if you hadn’t been there, I… I would have probably, I don’t know… cried in the bathroom or something, I… it’s just… it’s just the fact that I… that I knew what would happen and yet I thought that… that things would be different because of how much time has passed and then… then it was still the s-same as a-always… “ Niall’s voice cracked at the end and Liam’s stomach tightened rather uncomfortably as he held the boy even tighter.

“Shhh, it’s okay, baby, it doesn’t matter, okay? It doesn’t matter what they say, none of it, it’s just fucking bullshit and you know it is, Nialler. Your brother, he… I’ve got no idea how you even managed to convince yourself to meet up with him, honestly, you don’t need someone like him in your life, babe, even if it’s your brother. And what your mum said… she’s probably just upset, because she hasn’t seen you in a long time and she was clearly embarrassed of Greg, but you’re the younger one so she just took it out on you, it doesn’t mean that… that she actually meant any of it.” Then again, did Liam really know that? He had only met Niall’s mother once and he definitely did not like her at all. 

“She d-did… “ Niall half sobbed into Liam’s neck and the older man could feel his throat getting tighter as he pressed his lips to the side of Niall’s head, his heart aching. “She a-always… preferred Greg… a-and… when they g-got divorced… I s-stayed with d-dad because… he d-doesn’t care, a-as you saw… and my m-mum… she j-just… s-she just believes w-what she w-wants a-and… f-freaks out out of n-nowhere and then… the n-next second, she’s t-telling people h-how good I’m d-doing at u-uni, and… it’s just e-easier, to j-just… t-talk on the p-phone… once a w-while… “

“Ni, I’m sure your mum loves you, and I’m sure the reason why she freaked out wasn’t because she genuinely believes you’re lazy or whatever else she said. I’m sure she knows how good you are at uni and that you’re doing great at your job, she probably was shocked because of how long we’ve been together already and then you meeting my parents and… I suppose we could have handled it better. Which doesn’t make any of what she said alright though and she definitely shouldn’t be trying to discipline you like a child or threaten you about not giving you money anymore. Not that you need it, but still, it’s not right and it’s not your fault, any of it. You know that, right?” Liam honestly wasn’t sure if Niall was blaming himself or not, he kinda got a feeling that he did. 

“I k-know, just… I d-don’t know… I knew w-what would h-happen and n-now… ‘m s-still c-crying… ‘m s-sorry… “ The younger boy was still sobbing into Liam’s neck, holding onto him even tighter, almost hurting him now but Liam wouldn’t have told him even if he had.

“Don’t apologize, baby, it’s alright… you can cry as much as you want, I’m here. And no matter what happened today or what’s gonna happen in the future, I’m here for you, okay? No matter what, it’s going to be fine, babe.” There was nothing else for Liam to say really, other than to repeat himself over and over again, he didn’t know Niall’s family well enough to really know if his mother had meant everything she had said, he didn’t know when and if they would make up and it also wasn’t for Liam to decide. What he could do though was make sure Niall knew he wasn’t alone, that he was loved.

The blonde kept on crying for a while and Liam just held him while whispering hopefully comforting words into his hair, kissing his head once a while, rocking them a little bit until Niall’s body stopped shaking and his breathing got more even, his grip not so desperately tight anymore. “Li… “

“Yes, babe?” Liam hoped it was a good sign that Niall’s voice had gone back to somewhat normal, hoped the younger boy wouldn’t start crying again because it was like torture. 

“Can we just… can we just not talk about it anymore? I mean… my family is never gonna change and… as long as we just talk on the phone, it’s… it’s fine. So… can we just… ignore that today happened?” Actually, Liam wasn’t sure if that was the best idea, but if that was what Niall wanted…

“Of course we can, love, anything you want, okay?” He promised the blonde, still rubbing his back slowly, breathing him in.

“Okay… thank you. Also for… for always being there for me and for always knowing the right thing to say and I’m… I’m sorry that you had… that you had to let my mum be rude to you and my brother and… and just so you know, umm… what he said about… about me sleeping with older guys, it’s not true. He was just trying to… make you feel bad.” The last part only came out in a whisper and Liam decided that it was definitely time for him to let the blonde know once and for all that he would never have to apologize to him again, not because of this.

“Niall, hey… look at me.” Pulling away as gently as possible, Liam could tell that Niall wanted to refuse at first, but then he let it happen, his face still red and wet as the brunette cupped his cheeks, looking firmly into his eyes as he softly wiped away a few leftover tears. “If we’re gonna pretend it never happened, then you need to stop apologizing as well, okay? Besides, I don’t care what either of them said to me, all I care about is you and nothing else, alright? I told you a thousand times and I’ll tell you a thousand more if you want, I love you more than anything in this world and I’d do anything for you, so stop thanking me and stop apologizing. I’m your boyfriend, of course I’m always gonna be there for you.” 

Before Niall could reply, Liam kissed the younger’s forehead before pulling him back into his arms, the blonde immediately melting into him again, arms tight once more. “Okay… I love you too, Liam, so much, I… today would have been… absolute hell without you and… can we still, um… do what you said before? Just… lie in bed and… watch a film?”

“Of course we can, baby. Do you maybe want some ice cream too, I put some in the-“

“Yes!” Right, that sounded a lot more like Niall again and Liam couldn’t help but smile a little bit as he squeezed the boy more tightly against his chest. 

They stayed like this for a little while longer before fully pulling apart, Liam made sure to dry the younger’s face as best as possible before kissing him, not deepening it though because right now was definitely not the time. Niall seemed to feel a lot better now though, he was smiling and kissing Liam back and once they had changed into something else and cuddled up in bed, Niall’s head was resting on Liam’s shoulder, shoveling ice cream into his mouth while the older man tried to find something they could watch that would take their mind of a little.

“You know… “ The blonde started in between having the spoon in his mouth, sounding completely normal otherwise, as if today hadn’t even happened. Liam was kinda suspicious though, he was really hoping Niall was over it already, but… he was pretty sure that they’d be talking about this at least one more time. “Now I’m almost looking forward to seeing _your_ parents next weekend.”

“Right… next weekend, I almost forgot.” Liam had only mentioned it briefly to Niall, so he was kinda surprised that the blonde remembered because he himself had almost forgotten about this work thing his dad was forcing him to go to… although, Liam had even mentioned it to Louis a few days ago when he had been desperately trying to keep him in his office. “That’s gonna be… boring as hell. Although, not as boring as the other things I’ve taken you to, ‘cos everyone from work will be there, but then again… probably means my dad’s speech will be even longer.”

“Hmm, I don’t mind, I mean… you’ll be there and Louis and Harry, so… it’ll be fun.” Well, fun was definitely not the right word for that, but after what had happened today… next weekend could have only gotten better anyways, right? Then again, Liam didn’t care if it would be fun or completely boring, all he really cared about in the end was whether Niall was happy and what could have possibly happened that was worse than today or the fact that they had thought Louis was getting threatened by some drug dealers?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's one thing i wanna say about this chapter: ive been thinking about the way i wrote liam and gregs conversation and their 'fight' kind of, and i would like to say that i do not in any way wanted to offend anybody who works at tesco's, sainsbury etc. (and i hope no one felt offended, i didnt get any comments but it just kept me thinking). this is not at all how i wanted it to come across, the reason why liam was acting this way was because greg was/is a horrible person in this fic and liam was trying to defend niall, on a really low level because thats the level greg is on as well. it has nothing to do with having a well paying job or not or a college degree, they were just trying to make each other feel bad and since liam has a lot of money in this fic (and money generally is a re occuring topic in this fic), this was the one thing he could make greg feel bad for what he was saying about niall. and it wasnt about greg not going to college or his job, it was about him being a bad person and liam trying to make him feel bad by showing him that nialls going to uni etc. even tho greg has been trying to talk niall down. plus, liam was getting angry so what he said was also rude in that sense, because he WAS making fun of greg for his job, but because he himself is very rich and not because i personally chose to write it like that because i feel like making fun of it is alright, which it is not. they were arguing, and both of them said wrong things for different reasons.  
> so i genuinely hope no one felt offended or as if i was trying to make fun of people who work in these places, i myself used to worked in a movie theatre and i got paid even less than i would have working at a grocery store, its a job like any other job, whether you have a college degree or not. i would never intentionally wanna make it seem as if i was making fun of anybody's career and i apologize if it came across like i was.
> 
> thank you all so much for still reading!!! i hope you enjoyed this chapter and do let me know what you think! i must say im pretty proud of myself that no one really guessed what was going on and that hopefully the real drama will be a surprise :p
> 
> also, im trying my hardest but i dont know yet if i will be able to update next sunday, im going away tomorrow (to paris yay!) and i will only be back home on friday! im only 1.6K into the next chapter but ill see how far ill get tonight and next friday&saturday and then hopefully itll be fine!


	16. Chapter 16

“You know what, I’m almost starting to get used to wearing a suit.“ Niall sounded rather cheerful actually, which was a good thing considering the fact that Liam actually wanted nothing more right now than to stay at home. “I mean, it’s still uncomfortable, but… not as much as when you first bought it for me.”

“It’ll always stay uncomfortable, no matter how many times you’re putting it on.” Liam spoke from experience after all, not really thinking anymore as he stopped in front of his boyfriend to fix his tie because he always had to do it anyways. That was one thing the blonde simply could not remember how to do. 

“Jeez, that’s some positive input, thanks, Li.” Chuckling, the younger boy kept trying to fix his hair in the mirror over Liam’s shoulder, moving around and making it rather difficult for the brunette tie his tie, but… he wasn’t gonna say anything, Niall could never stay still anyways. 

“It’s true. But it’s only for a few hours today, so… “ Once he was done, Liam made sure to gently grab a hold of Niall’s hand, pulling it out of his hair because he had messed it up enough already, offering a smile instead as he took the younger boy in. “You look absolutely stunning, babe. As always.”

Rolling his eyes, Niall tried to gently push Liam away but only ended up closer to him, his cheeks having turned just slightly red as he looked up at the older man. “Not as stunning as you though.”

“Sure, you do and you know it, Nialler. Whenever we go somewhere people always only look at you and not me.” Which was true, but it was probably more the fact that some people still seemed surprised whenever Liam brought his boyfriend along, even after months.

“Yeah, because they know you already and they’re wondering how somebody like me managed to get with somebody like y-“

“Shush. That’s not true and anyways, who cares what anybody else thinks because you’re mine only, so they can fuck right off.” It was a joke, but Liam shrugged and he could see the sparkle in Niall’s eyes even though the blonde pretended to still be annoyed with him. 

“So possessive… “ Niall mumbled, but he was smiling when Liam leaned down to kiss him on the lips, one arm wrapped tightly around the younger’s waist to keep him close. 

They deepened the kiss immediately and Liam almost thought about how it wouldn’t matter if they came even later than they already were, but then he remembered the pissed off look on his dad’s face the last time they had been over an hour too late and how uncomfortable it had been to have conversation with him afterwards. 

“We should go…” The blonde sighed as Liam broke the kiss, keeping his arms around the older man’s neck for a little bit longer though, trying to kiss him one more time and the brunette let him, only very briefly though. “I promise we’ll continue in a few hours.”

“Hmm, you better keep that promise and not be too tired then.” Niall was referring to last time, when they had come home at 2 in the morning and had just fallen into bed, not even bothering to get fully undressed. 

“Hey, _you_ passed out before me.” Kissing the younger’s nose, Liam forced himself to stop, instead slowly reaching behind to unwrap Niall’s arms from around himself, keeping one of his hands in his and kissing the back before intertwining their fingers. “Maybe we can excuse ourselves to the bathroom after saying hi.”

“Liam, for the hundredth time, I’m not letting you fuck me in a public bathroom.” Niall complained while they were walking out of the door and Liam just laughed remembering how many times he had jokingly offered the boy they could have a quickie in the bathroom. “It’s really unhygienic, plus… somebody would hear us.”

“No, they’d hear _you_ , I can keep quiet.” This was very true though and they both knew it, Liam smirked at his boyfriend’s blushed cheeks while locking the front door, slipping the keys into his pocket before leading Niall down the hallway to the elevators, keeping a tight grip around his hand. 

“I could keep quiet, there’s just never been a reason to. But I’m still not gonna agree, no matter what you say.” He sounded very serious right now, as if Liam would _honestly_ wanna fuck in the bathroom at one of his dad’s events. Well, he might have, but only if Niall had really begged him, which was never gonna happen, so… 

Instead, Liam just laughed, let his boyfriend keep rambling on and listing all the reasons why it would be wrong while they went down in the elevator, all the way until they were sitting in Liam’s car. Despite the fact that Liam really did not wanna go there now, he was still in a good mood, because last week had been pretty damn great compared to what had happened the weeks before.

They had definitely had to have more talks about Niall’s family. On Tuesday, the blonde had called Liam at work, sounding really stressed out because of a text message he had received from his mother concerning last weekend. So naturally, Liam had ditched work and Niall had skipped uni and they had spent the day doing stupid tourist things in London that Liam had done a hundred times before but Niall hadn’t and they had had a blast. 

The situation between Niall and his family was tense after what had happened, that was all Liam could gather, pretending not to notice every time Niall just stared at his phone when his mother was calling, waiting for her to hang up again without answering. Besides that though, things were good, brilliant actually, even at work. Liam’s dad was slowly turning back normal again because the last threat mail had been a while ago and Liam was kinda starting to think that things were going to turn around for good.

Now he only needed to make sure his boyfriend would at least talk to his mother and attempt to make up with her and they’d be fine.

“Hmm… that’s really weird.” Niall mumbled after they had already been in the car for a few minutes, the traffic making it seem though as if they had barely even moved away from Liam’s apartment building.

“What is?” Liam asked, a little bit distracted while driving, already annoyed that he hadn’t just for once had someone pick them up.

“Harry just texted me and he said he’s not coming.” That was definitely weird because two days ago all the four of them had hung out at Louis’ place and Liam remembered very clearly that Louis had said he’d bring Harry along.

“Why not?” Maybe he had something better to do, Liam couldn’t have blamed anyone for not wanting to come, honestly, if he had been Niall, he would have long stopped being polite and always letting Liam drag him along. Then again, the blonde knew just how much Liam hated dressing up and going to these events so he was coming along to make it a bit better for the brunette, that’s what he had told him.

“Honestly… I have no idea. I just asked if they were already there, and all he wrote back was ‘I’m at home, I’m not coming’, and that’s it. D’you think they had a fight?” Now Niall sounded really worried and Liam knew why, because it wouldn’t be the first time that things between Harry and Louis were weird. But Harry’s birthday was soon, so hopefully that’d stop and it wouldn’t turn out that Louis had been lying to Liam or something, like… why would he have? Before Liam could say something, Niall made another surprised sound next to him, his voice sounding calmer this time. “Oh, he just texted again, he said he’s not feeling well and he has to write an essay.”

“But Louis is coming?” Liam asked because this didn’t sound very… reliable? If it had been Niall being home and not feeling well, Liam would have surely stayed with the boy and besides, Louis was ‘just’ an employee, Liam’s dad wouldn’t have even noticed if he came or not.

“Apparently so. Maybe he told Louis to go, I would have if I were Harry.” The blonde seemed to not think much of it and Liam genuinely wondered whether he was becoming paranoid because of the thing with his dad. 

“Hmmm, maybe.” Not wanting to alarm the blonde, Liam threw Niall a smile before reaching over to rest his hand on the blonde’s thigh. “If I were Louis I would have taken any possibility to talk myself out of this.”

“Maybe he’s just really excited about seeing us because we’re so much fun to hang out with.” Niall joked and Liam laughed, trying to push those worries into the back of his head. They’d see Louis soon anyways and then surely, things would clear up. “I’m kinda glad Harry’s not coming.”

“Why? I thought you were excited?” Harry had never come along to anything because Louis barely ever came either since obviously, he wasn’t related to Liam or his dad, but today was a work thing, so… 

“Because… I don’t know, it’d be kinda weird to have him there and what if he thought it’d be funny to say something stupid about me in front of somebody and… him and Louis are always so weirdly affectionate in public.” That caused Liam to chuckle, even if it was very true, but still. “I mean, not that I care, you know… I know he’d never wanna like, say something embarrassing about me with the intention to really piss me off, but… I don’t know.”

“Does it bother you that you and me aren’t that affectionate in front of my parents?” It was kinda a serious question, but then again, maybe not because it’s not like they weren’t touching or anything, they just didn’t start snogging in public like Harry and Louis sometimes did.

“No, that’d be so embarrassing… I mean, I know your parents wouldn’t say anything, not like… _other_ people, but… still, no, I wouldn’t want that. I don’t know… if Harry’s not there I don’t have to talk to anybody besides you.” So in conclusion, Niall had probably stopped thinking that tonight would be fun. “I mean… not that I’m an expert on these things, but… I don’t even know if Harry has any nice clothes. Like, at all.”

“You were scared he’d show up underdressed?” Liam couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore, even though Niall gave him a playful clap on the hand that was still resting on his thigh.

“That was a legitimate worry of mine, okay?” The blonde sounded very serious and the longer Liam thought about it, he wasn’t quite sure if maybe those worries had been so misplaced after all.

“Since when have you become so interested in clothes, babe? Don’t worry though, I’m sure Louis would have made sure he’d worn something appropriate.” Or maybe not, Louis tended not to care too much about these kinda things either and suddenly, Liam was also glad that Harry wasn’t coming. “But I do agree that it’s good that he’s not coming because now we can excuse ourselves to the bathroom and-“

“Liam!” Niall sounded something between shocked and annoyed, making Liam laugh yet again because he couldn’t believe how worked up it got the blonde whenever he started joking about a bathroom quickie. 

The older man kept up the teasing for the next few minutes until Niall pretended to be mad at him so Liam decided to start apologizing by letting Niall put in that awful CD he had bought with songs that almost made Liam’s ears bleed. Anything really to make the car ride a little bit more entertaining because they’d surely be stuck in traffic for quite a while. 

When they finally arrived, probably everyone important had already been there for at least half an hour or something, but Liam really could not have cared less anymore. Not like anybody truly noticed them being late as hell, his dad had invited every single one of his employees, so naturally, the venue he had rented was massive and it was filled with people. Still, it wouldn’t be hard to find his parents, something which Liam wasn’t too happy about. 

“I take it back when I said it could be fun.” Niall half mumbled as they made their way through the crowds of people and Liam tried to keep up a smile, nodding at everyone who greeted him, the younger boy’s hand clutched tightly in his. “I’ve never seen so many people in one place… and I mean, they all kinda work for you, right?”

“Kinda. But… I don’t even know most of the people here, only from my own department.” Liam didn’t really like to think of himself as being above all these people when in reality, he just wanted to find his parents and then find Louis and have a few drinks until they could finally leave again. 

“But they all know _you_.” The blonde argued, which was maybe a little bit true, but Liam was about to say no when his boyfriend continued. “It’s kinda hot.”

“Hot?” Having to laugh a little, Liam squeezed Niall’s hand as he tried to somehow locate his parents, pulling the younger boy with him when he spotted them somewhere at the other end of the room, or hall more like. 

“Yeah, I mean, you’re the boss and they’re all greeting you when you walk past and want your attention.” Okay, that was highly exaggerated but Liam knew what Niall meant and it caused his stomach to twist in the same way it did whenever Niall called him daddy. It was obviously the blonde’s kink, had been ever since they had met, Liam being dominant, rich and powerful and though the brunette knew that Niall wasn’t in love with him because of these things, he still liked how much Niall was into all of this. 

“You’re the only one I’m paying attention to.” Liam said, not having to look at the blonde to see the smile on his face, the one he always got when the older man praised him for being a good boy when they had sex. 

“I know.” Was all he said, making it sound casual, but Liam heard the pride in his voice and he wasn’t quite sure if he’d ever fully understand why Niall thought that being Liam’s boyfriend was like hitting the jackpot, as he had once called it. Not that Liam would complain.

They found Liam’s parents soon after, talking to some of their friends, all of them surrounded by bodyguards and the brunette only then realized that he hadn’t even thought of calling Paddy. Then again, was that really necessary now that things had calmed down anyways? 

“Sorry for being late, we got stuck in traffic.” Liam apologized after they had said hello und his mother dismissed it with a wave of her hand. Either she really did not care or she was so upset that she didn’t want to talk about it. 

“Did you come in your own car?” Liam’s dad ignored the apology, looking rather surprised when he looked from Liam to Niall and back. He had never understood why Liam liked driving himself to events and parties, apparently not having guessed yet that it was because it meant Liam could leave without anybody noticing. 

“Yeah, we did. Why?” Wrapping his arm around Niall’s waist instead of holding his hand, Liam made sure to pull the blonde boy in closer to him, glad that Niall had gotten over his nervousness around Liam’s parents already a while ago. He still didn’t talk much except for hello and goodbye, but that was perfectly fine, especially considering the fact that he knew that Liam’s dad was a thief and a liar.

“You know why I’m asking.” As if Niall wouldn’t hear it if he leaned in closer, Liam’s dad had lowered his voice, his face serious and Liam tried to resist rolling his eyes. “Honestly, Liam. And walking around without protection isn’t a smart idea either.”

“You said the threat mails stopped and also, I was never a target.” The brunette just decided to say it how it was because Niall knew the truth after all, even if Liam’s parents looked a bit panicked for a moment. 

“They did, but just because things calmed down doesn’t mean we should get careless. You especially.” His voice sounded strict, as if Liam was still a child that needed to be told these things and he pressed his lips together so he wouldn’t say anything rude in return. “Anyways, I was going to ask you if you have time sometime next week, both of you. I was thinking we haven’t played golf in a while.”

“I don’t think I’ve gotten any better though.” Liam kinda tried to talk himself out of it because he didn’t wanna decide over Niall’s head, plus he wasn’t very keen on playing golf with his dad. Even if Niall’s boss was always overly nice whenever he AND his dad came and Liam also knew that Niall had been employee of the month more than just once thanks to that. 

“But you can learn something from me. And from Niall.” There was no way they’d be able to talk themselves out of it, Liam threw a look at the younger boy, who shrugged barely noticeably and before Liam could say something, the blonde had already opened his mouth.

“I’m free next week, but we can also do it when I’m working, so… “ It didn’t seem like he minded too much and Liam was suddenly hit with the realization that maybe Niall had come to the conclusion that hanging out with Liam’s family was way better than being around his own. Which was very sad of course because playing golf with Liam’s dad was the most boring thing ever. 

“Great, we’ll arrange something.” He seemed very pleased with that and Liam decided that being bored to death on the golf course was probably still better than having dinner at his parents’ house, which his dad would have surely suggested otherwise.

They had a bit more small talk, pretty pointless and on a very superficial level like always, before Liam decided to excuse themselves because they needed to find Louis. Actually, it was very weird that the older man hadn’t come over to say hi yet, so Liam thought for a while that maybe he wasn’t even here yet or maybe had decided to stay with Harry after all. 

“Maybe he-“

“There he is.” Before Liam could start with his theory, Niall was already pointing over to the bar where Louis was sitting with somebody who he probably knew from work but Liam didn’t see the other guy’s face and he also wasn’t very interested. “Should we go over?”

“I… “ Liam started, actually thinking about it for a moment before he realized how stupid he was for considering saying no, because… why would they not go over? “Sure.”

“Do you know the guy he’s with?” Niall’s question sounded really random, as if he was just asking because, but when the other guy got up and left Louis sitting by himself, Liam caught a glimpse of his face, realizing that he had no bloody idea who it was.

“No, I don’t know him, but… I guess Louis knows a lot of employees that I don’t know.” Of course he did, that only made sense, right?

When they reached Louis, the man had just emptied his glass, probably about to get up and leave also when he saw Liam and Niall, his expression only a little bit surprised, the smile forming on his face a hint too big. He was already drunk, Liam wondered when he had actually gotten here and why he hadn’t said anything. “Oh, hey, guys.”

“Hey… you been here long?” It wasn’t strange for Louis to get drunk or a bit tipsy, Liam was just wondering why he would leave Harry alone at home being sick just to go and get smashed without even saying hi to Liam or his family. 

“Not too long. I’ve been looking for you guys, I only found your parents though and they seemed pretty busy so I didn’t wanna bother them. Are you gonna drink something?” He was already waving the bartender over and Liam didn’t know why, but he suddenly decided that he’d rather be sober. 

“No, thanks. Ni?” The blonde seemed completely relaxed and not at all as if he found Louis getting drunk while his boyfriend was sick at home weird, so Liam tried to calm himself down also, still kinda relieved though when Niall decided not to have a drink either.

“Boring.” Was Louis’ comment to that but he grinned before picking up his now filled glass again. “So, what’s up?”

“Nothing much… was a bit surprised you came, actually. With Harry staying home and all.” Liam shrugged, he wasn’t like, judging Louis or anything, he just found it was weird.

“How is he doing?” Niall asked, seemingly worried and the brunette squeezed his waist softly.

“He’s good, it’s just a cold. I told him I’d stay home with him, but… he wanted me to go, so I told him I wouldn’t stay long. Also, he has to write an essay anyways.” Louis shrugged, brushing it off and Liam really started to think that he was maybe getting paranoid. “Do you think I have to say hi to your dad?”

“I don’t think so, if he asks if you’ve been here I can just tell him I’ve talked to you. Plus, it’s not like he’s seriously keeping track of who decided not to show.” Then again, there was some guy checking ID’s at the entrance and ticking off names, so you never really knew. “Who was the guy you were with before? I’ve never seen him before.”

“Payno, sometimes I wonder if you even really know anybody who works for you except for me. He’s in our department.” That was even stranger because Liam was pretty sure he would have recognized everyone from his floor, but before he could say something or ask for a name, Louis had already switched the topic. “You know what I noticed? Your dad’s got like ten times more security here than he usually does. Also the ID thing? Kinda weird.”

“Yeah, he’s just… I don’t know.” Liam was so bad at lying that it was almost embarrassing, but he forced himself to shrug, thought about getting a drink after all but then dropped the idea pretty quickly when he felt Niall leaning into him more heavily. They had only been here for a bit and it was already getting exhausting. 

“It’s even weirder if you consider that there’s a back entrance by the bathrooms, no one’s checking there. I mean, not that anyone’s walked in, maybe it’s locked from the outside.” What?

“I… what do you mean?” This was so random that it got Liam confused, but Louis was very clearly already drunk, his words coming out more slowly and his face definitely a bit too flushed and sweaty.

“Yeah, I saw it before when I went to the bathroom.” Louis emptied half his glass afterwards and suddenly what he had said sounded more like a joke to Liam, or maybe he had simply made it up actually, considering how much he probably already had had to drink before they had shown up. “I really need some food. You guys coming?”

Though Liam was kinda confused, he agreed after silently checking with Niall, who wasn’t really saying much and instead just staying close to the brunette, who kept his arm protectively around his boyfriend the whole time, for no particular reason really. Just, after what Louis had said and after his dad had scolded Liam for not having a bodyguard with him, he had gotten slightly nervous, even if he knew there was no reason to worry. Right?

Louis sobered up a bit while eating and their conversations started to turn more casual and normal. They had to listen to a few speeches and Louis excused himself right before Liam’s dad’s speech, saying he really needed the bathroom, which Liam didn’t think anything of because, well, his friend had been drinking quite a bit after all. 

“Could’ve been us going to the bathroom if you would’ve just said yes.” Liam teased Niall, chuckling when he got the blonde to almost immediately groan and roll his eyes at him. “Sorry, I’m just kidding, baby. You okay?”

“Sure, I am. Just a bit tired.” Niall shrugged, leaning his cheek on Liam’s shoulder and the older man tightened his arm around the blonde’s waist, kissing the top of his head as the younger boy pressed closer into him.

They had tried to find a space without too many people, in a corner where they could barely even see Liam’s dad talking bullshit about his big plans for their business. Liam planned on leaving after his dad would leave the stage, maybe he’d talk to him one more time and make up some lie as to why they had to go, or maybe say he wasn’t feeling well. He’d have to ask Louis if he wanted a ride before that though, seeing as he was obviously not sober enough to drive himself and maybe also shouldn’t be left alone here. 

Somehow though, Louis never came back, Liam started to think that maybe he had simply wanted to miss Liam’s dad’s speech, so the brunette didn’t worry too much. He was actually thinking about something completely different, his thoughts drifting off as he evenly rubbed his hand up and down Niall’s side, barely even catching anything his father said. 

When there were claps and people starting to talk again, Liam was kinda jolted awake from his daydreaming, Niall lifting his head off of the older man’s shoulder, his face sleepy and exhausted. “That was boring as hell. Did you catch anything he said?”

“No, I… “ Liam started, stopping when his eyes got stuck on his dad all the way across the hall, kinda confused to see him arguing with somebody, a man Liam didn’t think he knew. 

“Li?” Niall asked, sounding a bit worried before he turned his head to see what the older man was looking at, slipping his hand back into Liam’s. “Who’s that?”

“I… I don’t know.” There was a weird feeling settling in Liam’s stomach as he turned his head to look over his shoulder, grabbing a tighter hold on his boyfriend’s hand without even noticing. 

Niall might have said something which Liam didn’t catch, he was busy scanning the men standing in front of the massive door through which everyone had entered. Only now, it was closed, which was weird considering the fact that people were coming and leaving all the time. They were too far away though as for Liam to tell whether some guests were arguing with the men guarding the door or whether they were just having a conversation. None of this mattered anymore though as soon as Liam looked up after suddenly feeling the urge to.

There was a second floor, which was not part of the venue though, but the balcony went around the whole hall. Liam had thought he had seen someone up there before when they had arrived, but he had simply brushed it off, thinking it were more bodyguards his dad had hired, just in case. Pretty sure though that his bodyguards would have been dressed in suits and wearing headsets instead of streetwear and bandanas covering their mouth and nose.

Liam’s blood literally turned to ice.

“We have to go.” He blurted out before even thinking this through or telling Niall what he seen, throwing one more look at where his dad had been arguing with the strange man, but they were gone, so was his mother who had just been standing there.

“What? Why?” Niall sounded more than confused, but he kept up with Liam as the older man pulled him through the crowd, feeling sick to his stomach as he tried to talk himself out of what he had seen. He had just seen the man for one second as he had looked up, he might as well have imagined it, as well as the flash of silver when the light had hit the gun in the man’s hand before he had disappeared.

“Because I said so.” Liam half snapped, knowing that it wasn’t the very best idea to talk this way to Niall, but he couldn’t think of anything else except for having to get this boy out of here, fast.

Of course Niall tried to stop Liam so he could ask what was going on, maybe even yell at Liam for being so rude to him or for holding his hand way too tightly, but he wouldn’t have wanted to make a scene right here, so he followed the brunette, didn’t really have a choice either ways.

They couldn’t go outside through the main entrance, Liam became aware of that when he got closer and could actually hear guests arguing with the bodyguards blocking the way, unresponsive to whatever they were asked though. Liam could feel his pulse quickening as panic filled his chest, frantically trying to think of a way to get out of here, internally praying that he was just getting paranoid, that it was nothing, that he was imaging all of this. His gut told him that he was right though.

“Liam, what the fuck is going on?” Niall was angry, of course he was, but Liam ignored him as he suddenly remembered what Louis had said before, about the back entrance and the brunette felt a pinch of guilt as he pulled Niall toward the bathrooms, knowing that they had no time to look for Louis. “Liam!”

Again, Liam ignored the blonde, feeling his hand getting sweaty in the younger boy’s as he pushed past people, probably bumping into every second person, but their swears didn’t even get to Liam, just got lost in the distance. His ears were rushing and his heart was pumping way too fast, chest tightening more with every second he couldn’t find the bloody back entrance Louis’ drunk ass had talked about before. And what if whoever was up on the balcony had come in through that door? Since there was no security guard? What if they would be running right into their arms?!

“Liam, t-“

“Shut up, okay? Just for _one_ second!” Finally, Liam snapped when Niall tried one more time and before the blonde could get really upset with him and maybe force him to stop walking and yell at him, the brunette finally saw what Louis had been talking about. Right when they heard a gunshot rippling through the hall and people started screaming. “You have to run, okay? Niall? Niall, look at me, we have to run as soon as we’re outside, okay?!”

Liam got no reaction out of the blonde, he was just met with big, blue eyes filled with panic and a face as white as a sheet. Maybe it was the adrenaline that kept Liam going, he didn’t know what it was, but somehow he managed to keep a cool head, grab Niall’s hand more tightly than he ever had before as he pulled him towards the back entrance, half hidden behind a massive pot plant, something he surely would have never seen had Louis not told them about it.

There was another gunshot right when they reached the door, more screaming and people panicking back in the main hall and Liam didn’t even know if anyone had followed them to the bathrooms, if anyone had seen the exit except for him, if Louis had already left before, if his parents were alright. All he could think about was what they’d do if that door was locked, how the hell he was supposed to get Niall out of here and what would happen if he didn’t.

The door opened after Liam had used only a minimum amount of strength.

It wasn’t an emergency exit, they were just in the back part of the building, plunged into almost complete darkness and as soon as the door had closed behind them, it was almost quiet. Too quiet. Liam could feel the panic rise in his chest once more, wanting to pull Niall into his arms and tell him it was alright, but instead, he just held the boy’s hand more tightly, not thinking for very long as he pulled Niall down the corridor, half running. 

Liam had no idea where they were, his dad always rented different venues, he was just frantically searching for an emergency exit sign, anything of that sort, flinching every time they heard a very quiet gunshot, numbed by the walls, as if it was in far distance. There were some windows letting streetlight in, but they were up too high to get outside and Liam quickly got rid of the idea of trying to lift Niall up there, instead pulling the boy with him down the corridor, then another one, the quietness driving him insane.

There were some doors which were all locked and Liam assumed that this was some sort of office maybe, judging by the looks, but it was in the middle of the night and it slowly dawned on him that he had probably chosen the wrong side of the corridor before. Fuck.

“Li… “ Niall half whimpered, his voice sounding as if he was crying but Liam didn’t allow himself to check, he knew Niall would be alright, but only if he managed to get him the fuck out of here before anybody would come after them. This was all he allowed himself to think about because otherwise, he might have burst into tears as well.

When they reached the end of another corridor with no exit, Liam almost felt like he had to cry when he saw a window, one without a handle to open, but it was low enough for them to reach. He almost had to yell at Niall to let go of his hand so he could shrug off his jacket, not thinking twice before wrapping it around his fist and smashing the window as hard as he could. 

It hurt, but Liam barely felt the pain, adrenaline rushing through his body as the glass cracked and they were hit by cold night air. Thank fucking god. He made sure to break off the edges with his protected arm, made sure there was nothing they could cut themselves on when climbing through before turning to Niall, who was looking at him like he was going to faint any second.

“C’mon, Niall, it’s okay, be careful when you climb outside, make sure you don’t touch the edges too much.” Liam knew that his voice was filled with too much panic as to sound calming, but he needed Niall out of this building. Now.

The blonde gulped, his movements too stiff as he did what he was told, the brunette making sure to support him as he climbed outside, looking over his shoulder every second. Maybe five minutes had passed since they had gotten out through the back entrance, but it already felt like a lifetime to Liam and he was almost certain that somebody would come around that corner any second and shoot them.

Nothing happened though, they were out on the street faster than Liam had thought and running down the sidewalk of a pretty much empty street. There were ten thousand thoughts filling Liam’s mind right now, but he locked them all into the back of his head so he could focus on the only thing that really and truly mattered: get Niall as far away from this place as possible.

As soon as they were around the corner and saw people walking on the streets again and cars driving by, Liam allowed himself to feel relieved, only for a very brief moment though. He knew Niall was crying next to him while clinging to his hand, he knew that whoever had sent his dad threat mails had probably gotten to both his parents, he knew that Louis was possibly still in there, but he couldn’t allow himself to think about any of it now.

Liam had been forced to park his car a few blocks away, because there had been no garage, which he had thought was weird but was now saving their lives. The man didn’t allow himself to think about anything at all until they had reached his car and he had locked it from the inside, Niall sobbing in the passenger seat and Liam trying to ignore the pain in his hand as he started the engine. Fuck, where the hell should he drive?! What was he supposed to do? Call the police? Call Louis? His dad?

“Baby, it’s okay.” It was a poor attempt at trying to calm Niall and Liam couldn’t blame the blonde for simply ignoring him and just keeping on crying because had the brunette not been forced to focus on the street and the car, he might have been crying as well. “Niall… please calm down.”

“C-Calm d-down?! L-Liam, t-they… they h-had g-guns! They… w-we h-have to… c-call the p-police a-and… w-what a-about Louis?! Your p-parents?!” The blonde was freaking out completely now, he was almost yelling and Liam knew that his boyfriend had a point, they had to do _something_ , but his first priority was still getting his boyfriend away from here, not to his apartment but just… away. 

“There’s nothing we can do right now, Niall, I will call the police when I got you out of here, but it’s more important that you are safe right now, okay? I have to get us out of the city and-“

“W-What?! We c-can’t l-leave, I… I-I h-have classes a-and… H-Harry and L-Louis, I… L-Liam, we h-have t-to… I’m n-not l-leaving!” The blonde almost yelled the last part into Liam’s ear, his voice breaking on a sob and Liam could feel himself running out of patience. It wasn’t because he was so annoyed with Niall or because he wanted the blonde to stop crying, he just hated himself, for having let something like this happen, for almost having Niall getting hurt, for being so damn stupid and thinking that things had calmed down, when clearly, it had just been silence before the storm.

Still, Liam couldn’t help but sound strict and rough, letting his anger and panic out on the younger boy because hell, he had no idea what to do either. “We _are_ leaving, whether you like it or not, I don’t fucking care about your classes, I don’t care about anything right now except for getting you as far away from here as possible so stop complaining!”

Of course that made Niall cry even harder and though Liam felt guilty, he didn’t apologize or try to calm the boy down again because he couldn’t find the right words, couldn’t get his brain to focus on one thing for long enough. Liam had actually planned on driving home when they had been half running back to his car before, but he had realized that it was a stupid idea, because… he had underestimated the whole situation, he wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.

They drove in silence, only broken by Niall’s sobs, and Liam tried to reach over one time, but quickly dropped his hand when the blonde pressed himself into the door instead. Great. 

It was only when Niall had gotten his phone out and Liam had already opened his mouth to tell him that he shouldn’t text Harry or call anybody, that the blonde spoke to him again, his throat sounding so tight that Liam barely understood a word. “S-Somebody… t-texted m-me… “

“What? Who?!” Liam was about to pull the car over, grab Niall’s phone and read the message himself, but they were once again stuck in traffic, plus the blonde would have probably not forgiven him.

“I-I d-don’t k-know w-who…it j-just s-says… we s-shouldn’t c-call the p-police o-or… t-tell a-anybody w-what h-happened. L-Li… w-why do t-they h-have m-my n-number?!” Yet again, Niall was on the edge of a freak out, but so was Liam because… holy shit, this was fucking serious. 

“I don’t know, Nialler, I… turn off your phone. Now.” Liam ordered while at the same time reaching into his pockets to turn off his own, glancing down only briefly to see the exact same message from a number he didn’t recognize. Should he have been more worried about somebody sending them threat messages, the fact that they already knew that they had gotten away or that they had sent the message to Niall as well and therefore knew about them? Fuck. “Did you turn it off?”

“Y-Yes… w-why?” Niall was going to lose it, Liam was pretty sure that the blonde hadn’t had a second of not sobbing during the last few minutes and that he was trying to catch his breath a little bit too desperately. The older man knew he should have maybe pulled over, should have pulled the blonde into his arms and apologized, told him everything would be alright, that he’d protect him, but he was way too scared to stop the car.

“So they can’t track us or anything. Baby, listen to me, there’s no way they’re following us or know where we are, okay? I’m going to get us out of the city and we’re going to check up on everyone from a hotel, alright? It’s going to be alright, I promise.” Liam lied because he didn’t know what else to do, he felt absolutely horrible and his hand was hurting and he had no bloody idea what was going to happen. He knew he should have called the police or checked up on Louis and his parents, but he was way more worried about Niall’s safety right now and the fact that somebody was threatening them via text message telling them to not do anything kinda made Liam want to follow that person’s orders. How could this have happened? “I’m sorry I keep snapping at you. And I’m sorry I told you to shut up, I… I just want you to be safe. And I don’t wanna risk anything happening to you by driving to my apartment or calling somebody.”

“I k-know… “ Niall half sobbed again and Liam dared to try and reach over one more time, feeling incredibly guilty when Niall intertwined their fingers this time and the brunette only had his hurting hand left to drive the car. 

“It’s going to be fine, Nialler, I’m sure everyone’s alright and… “ And nothing, Liam simply stopped talking because he had no idea how to continue, squeezing his boyfriend’s hand instead and trying not to think about everything that could possibly happen. 

“Y-You d-don’t h-have to l-lie… “ The blonde sniffed quite noisily, but he returned the pressure of Liam’s hand, probably wiping at his face and trying to calm himself down judging by the sounds. There was nothing Liam wanted more than to just pull the blonde into his arms and hold him until everything would be alright again. 

Liam waited for a few minutes, deciding against turning on the radio because even though he was 99% certain that somebody had already called the police, he didn’t think either of them were quite ready to hear exactly just what had happened. Instead, Liam pulled Niall’s hand over, pressing his lips against the back and saying the only thing he could be certain was true right now. “I love you.”

Despite Liam’s worries, Niall did not hesitate before replying even though Liam would have surely deserved it and the older man felt relieved for maybe half a second before going back to worrying. “I l-love y-you t-too… “

 

\-----------------------

 

Liam couldn’t remember how far they drove, all he knew was that Niall did at some point turn on the radio without asking, switching the channel a few times before getting to the news and they both listened silently. It was worse than Liam had thought, people had actually died, and the police had caught no one, but they had received calls in the matter of minutes after the first shot had been fired, which meant that whoever had done this had had all of it planned out perfectly.

There were no names mentioned, nothing at all that would indicate if Louis or Liam’s parents were hurt or not. So there was nothing Liam could do, he couldn’t call them, because it would have possibly given away his and Niall’s location, he also couldn’t go to the police because if they had like… kidnapped his parents or Louis, he would risk getting them killed for breaking the orders they had gotten through text message. Even worse, he would risk getting Niall hurt, or killed.

Niall seemed to realize all these things as well because he didn’t speak afterwards, he just cried some more, silently this time though, and Liam himself had to blink back tears in order to concentrate on the street ahead. Of course he knew who had done this, the guys his dad had fucked over and then got locked up in prison, but… he didn’t know any names or what they looked like, so… how the hell was he going to keep Niall safe from somebody he didn’t know?!

They did have normal clothes in the back of the car, so they were able to change before going into a random hotel Liam had picked, after having decided that they had probably driven far enough. He made sure to park the car somewhere between other cars, just in case they knew his license plate or something, like… who knew what these people were capable of, right?

Niall had made sure to wipe his face and put up a neutral expression before walking inside and Liam wanted nothing more than to hold him close but he decided he should have probably waited until they were safe inside a hotel room. So a forehead kiss and a quick hug had to do as they walked inside, even if he felt absolutely terrible.

“We have to call somebody, Li, I… what if they’re… “ The blonde stopped himself before finishing the sentence, Liam could tell he was already on the verge of tears again the second he had made sure to lock the door behind them after entering their hotel room, the check in part luckily having gone smoothly and without any questions.

“Shhh, c’mere babe.” Not hesitating for a second, Liam reached out for his already shaking boyfriend, finally pulling him into the tight hug he had been craving for hours now, pressing his face into the blonde’s hair. “They’re fine, I know they are. And we will be too.”

“How do you know?” A good question, Niall’s voice was muffled by Liam’s shirt, his face buried in the older’s shoulder, fingers clenched so tightly around Liam’s shirt that he was surprised the material didn’t rip. “What if… what if everyone’s dead? What if they have Harry or-“

“Nialler, they don’t have Harry, okay? It’s a really good thing he wasn’t there tonight, there’s no way they would do something to him, they were only there because they wanna get back at my dad.” Well, and apparently also Liam, judging by the text message and the fact that they even knew about Niall, but Liam wasn’t going to say that out loud, just kept rubbing Niall’s back soothingly. 

“But…. how did they even know about tonight? How did they get our numbers? Do you think… do you think they were there for _us_?!” Niall’s voice was getting more panicked the more questions he asked that Liam had no idea how to answer, because… the boy’s worries weren’t misplaced after all, all of this was weird as hell and none of it was adding up. “Li, they _killed_ people tonight, they had it all planned out, what if… what if they find us?! What if they killed Louis or… or what if they have your parents? We have to… we have to make sure they’re okay… and Harry… “

There was no way Liam would get Niall to calm down fully without checking on everyone and quite frankly, Liam could barely even hold it together either without knowing if everyone was alright. Plus, he knew he needed to call the police, tell the whole story about his dad and those drug killers because if he didn’t… he was basically making himself guilty, for withholding information about whoever had been involved tonight.

So even though Liam knew it was dumb as hell, especially because of the text message, he decided to give in because it was inevitable. “Okay, but we’re gonna use the hotel phone, don’t turn your own phone on, alright?”

“Okay… “ Niall let go of Liam but only slowly and very unwilling, so the older man made sure to pull the blonde down next to him on the bed, keeping his arm around him as he picked up the phone, only then realizing that he didn’t even know Louis’ number by heart.

“Do you know Harry’s number?” The blonde hesitated, but he was able to tell Liam the number by heart after all and the older man gave him the phone afterwards, trying to tell himself that everything was just fine, that Harry was going to pick up the phone and tell Niall he was just at his dorm, that Louis was with him.

But none of that happened.

“He’s… he’s turned off his phone.” Niall said after only a moment of waiting and the panic in his eyes reminded Liam once again that he couldn’t allow his own nervousness to shine through if he wanted to help his boyfriend to calm down. 

“Okay, it’s in the middle of the night, that doesn’t mean anything at all, yeah? I’m sure he’s just asleep, there’s no way they’d do anything to Harry or look for him, it’s about my dad, nobody else.” Well, and apparently, everybody who worked for his dad, but Liam tried his best here, rubbing the blonde’s back in soothing circles once more. “I’m gonna call the police now, yeah?”

“What… what about Louis? And your parents?!” The blonde looked at Liam as if he was crazy, his voice was way too high and the fact that Liam was trying to speak slowly and calmly didn’t seem to be helping at all.

“I don’t know Louis’ number by heart and I… I don’t think I should be calling my parents. If they… you know if somebody else has their phones… “ Liam didn’t continue, hoping Niall would get what he was saying without having to actually say it out loud. He didn’t even want to finish that thought, that maybe his parents weren’t home and alright and it was killing the brunette to not know where his family and best friend were, but even if he knew, there was nothing he could have done to help anyways. At least this way, he wouldn’t have to worry about anybody else picking up the phone and figuring out where he and Niall were. 

It honestly looked like Niall would either throw up or pass out any second, he curled into Liam while the older man tried to figure out if calling the police was a good idea or not. The thing was that this whole thing had been planned out so perfectly, the fact that they even had Niall’s number, had known that they had gotten away only minutes later… why would they tell them not to call the police, if they had no way of finding out if they had actually done it?

Liam hesitated, trying to weigh the consequences of doing and not doing it, but in the end, he realized that there was no way that he could just be sitting here with Niall the whole night long and not at least try to do something. If Louis and his parents were… if they were held by somebody, Liam would have never forgiven himself for not doing anything, even if it meant that he was maybe putting everybody’s life even more at risk. How the hell had he been thinking Niall was overreacting when the boy had said so many times that this was exactly like some crime TV show?

Before Liam called, he made Niall lie down because the blonde was shaking, tears now silently dripping down his cheeks, not letting go of Liam’s injured hand while the brunette remained on the edge of the mattress, his heart bumping fast as he waited for somebody to pick up, closing his eyes in order to concentrate better. 

Talking to the police went by quicker than Liam had thought. He had hesitated about saying his name, but he did it in the end and since he hadn’t really thought about what to say and what not, he just said everything he knew from the beginning, not caring anymore if it would get his dad in trouble or not. He already was in trouble, they all were.

Of course they tried to persuade Liam to come to a police station but then took it back when he told them about the text messages. So in the end, all the brunette could hold onto was the fact that at least he had tried, and at least he had been told half-heartedly by a police officer that there was no way anybody could track them to the hotel, that they should stay there for the night and report to a station tomorrow. If it was even still necessary, which Liam was pretty sure it would be for some reason.

“What’d they say?” Niall almost asked immediately after the older man had hung up the phone, suppressing a sigh as he looked down at the blonde, rubbing his thumb over his cheek and catching a few tears.

“That we should stay where we are and that I did the right thing by calling.” But Liam wasn’t sure if it had really been the right thing after all because somehow, he felt even more nervous now. “And tomorrow we’re gonna drive to a police station and… hopefully they got something by then.”

“Did you ask about Louis and your parents?” Of course Niall had been listening, but he hadn’t heard any answers to Liam’s questions, so the brunette tried not to sound too hopeless as he repeated them to the younger boy.

“Yeah, but… they couldn’t tell me anything. But, hey… ‘m sure everyone’s fine, okay? I’m sure that they’re gonna get them, especially after I told them everything I know about who it was.” The smile Liam forced was almost uncomfortable and also not returned by the blonde, who seemed to get even more scared if any possible. 

“But, Li… what if they find out you told the police? They also have our numbers and they knew where to be tonight and they… I don’t… what if they…. what if they find us and what… what if they hurt Louis or-“

“Shhh, Niall, calm down, okay? They won’t find out where we are or that I called the police, alright? There’s no way, we turned off our phones, the door is locked and they can’t just walk into a random hotel and find our room, okay? I promise, we are safe, I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, never.” It was a promise Liam was determined to keep, no matter what happened, Niall would always be his number one priority. “You should get some rest, babe.”

“I can’t.” Niall immediately answered without hesitation and Liam could tell that the blonde was about to ask him a hundred more questions that he had no bloody idea how to answer. Nothing made sense to Liam, he had no idea what to do so the only thing he wanted to really focus on was making Niall feel better. 

“Ni, the door is locked and I promise I’m gonna stay awake, nothing can happen to you.” There was no bloody way Liam was going to get just a second of sleep, he had let this happen to his boy, he wasn’t going to risk putting Niall into any more danger than he was already in.

“But… if they do find us, there’s nothing you could do, Li, and I… I don’t want you to get hurt either, I can barely stand not knowing if everyone else is okay, but if… if anything ever h-happened to y-you…” The blonde was back to sobbing again, causing Liam’s heart to break as he sat there watching, not knowing anymore what to say. Having Niall being worried about _him_ right now was maybe the worst thing ever, because… it was Liam’s fault that Niall was in this situation after all.

“Baby… “ Instead of trying to calm the blonde down with words again, Liam made sure to get into bed behind Niall, wrapping him up in his arms and pulling him against his chest after covering them both with the blanket, feeling the younger’s tears wetting his bare neck, his body shaking in Liam’s embrace. “Shshhh… it’s okay, Nialler, everything’s fine, you and me are going to be alright, I promise. And everybody else is too, they’re going to catch them. I’m so sorry this happened, baby, I’m sorry you were pulled into this, and Harry and Louis, I… I’ll never forgive myself for this…”

“It’s n-not y-your f-fault… “ Niall sobbed into Liam’s neck, his fingers curled into the older man’s clothes, his breath going so fast and heavy that the brunette thought he might suffocate any second. “I j-just… I d-don’t w-want a-anything to h-happen to y-you… “

“Nothing will happen to me, love, okay? I’m fine, I’m right here and I won’t ever leave you alone, yeah? I promise, baby, you’re the most important thing to me in the whole world and I love you more than anything, I’ll always keep you safe.” Liam was holding the boy so tightly that his arms were already hurting, pressing kisses into the younger’s hair and wherever else he could reach, his still hurting hand rubbing Niall’s back. He should have probably checked whether he was seriously injured, but… there wasn’t really anything he could have done if he were.

“I l-love y-you t-too, b-but… w-what i-if… they f-find u-us a-and… w-what i-if e-everyone e-else i-is d-dead a-and… a-and t-then t-they’d h-hurt y-you a-and… I c-couldn’t s-survive t-that, I n-need y-you…” This was making Liam crazy, nothing he said calmed Niall down in any way, the younger boy just kept on crying and sobbing and the brunette honestly thought about maybe having to take Niall to hospital or something. He was clearly suffering from a shock and he was talking himself deeper and deeper into this whole thing, getting more worked up, and the worst part was… maybe he was right.

“Shhh, Niall, it’s alright, no one will hurt me, they only wanted my dad, okay? Not me or you or Louis or Harry. I’m going to be just fine and I’d never leave you, never. Please don’t cry, baby, everything will be just fine, I promise.” There was nothing else for Liam to do other than to keep talking to Niall, make promises he couldn’t keep and cuddle the boy close while the guilt and the fear were eating him from the inside out. 

Liam had no idea how late it was, he also didn’t bother checking, he just kept on holding Niall and whispering sweet nothings into his hair until the blonde eventually tired himself out after what seemed like hours. It was pretty fucking ridiculous to think that last weekend Liam had been worried about Niall’s family and then before that they had been worried about Louis behaving strangely when he had just been planning Harry’s birthday and now… now they were in a bloody nightmare.

Liam didn’t have to try to stay awake, he couldn’t even manage to close his eyes without having terrifying images flashing up, so he just stared at Niall’s sleeping face because all the lights were still turned on, gently wiping the younger’s red flushed and wet face, pressing butterfly soft kisses everywhere he could reach, praying that Niall wasn’t going to wake up.

What in God’s name were they supposed to do tomorrow? How was any of this going to end in a good way? They had no bloody idea where everybody else was, if they were still even alive, or whether Liam had just made it worse for everybody by notifying the police. Everything that kept Liam sane right now was staring at Niall’s face and feeling the boy in his arms, knowing that no matter what had happened, at least Niall was safe and breathing and Liam would do everything in his power to keep it that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys :)
> 
> dont know how but i finished the chapter in time!!!
> 
> hope youre all liking the drama and i also hope it was a surprise! ive got a few more surprises planned for the next chapters so watch out ;)
> 
> also i kinda want the fic to be 20 chapters so itll either be exactly 20 or maybe a bit more/less, just so you know!
> 
> also please let me know what youre thinking :D


	17. Chapter 17

Liam had no idea how he managed to lie still for so many hours without going insane. Maybe it was the fact that he could look at Niall while the boy slept that somehow kept him from freaking out and his head from exploding from having ten million thoughts and worries all at once. There was no solution to this whole mess, there was absolutely nothing Liam could do and he dreaded the moment Niall would wake up and they’d have to talk about it again and decide on what to do.

For a few hours, Liam had actually tried telling himself that it wasn’t so bad, slowly tracing the features of Niall’s face with his finger, trying to make himself believe that everyone was fine, that it would all be over already in the morning. Then again, how would they even know? They both had their phones turned off and obviously, the police wasn’t gonna call Liam back on the hotel telephone when he hadn’t even spoken to anybody in person.

There was a TV in the room, but Liam couldn’t get to the remote without moving and risking waking Niall, plus he couldn’t have turned it on anyways. And maybe he also didn’t want to, because what in god’s name were they gonna do if they found out that everyone was dead or missing? How would Liam live with himself? 

Sunrays hit his face after what had felt like a year of just lying there in bed with Niall, the room having been lit up the whole night long because they hadn’t turned off the lights. One thing that had distracted Liam even more though had been the steady pain in his hand, not too bad but also not so simple to ignore. He knew he’d probably have to put ice on it and eventually get it checked out somewhere, but… when the fuck was he supposed to do that?

When Niall started moving, Liam tried to calm himself, he had been kinda dozing off the past few minutes, so he was actually a little bit relieved that the blonde was slowly starting to wake up. He wasn’t looking forward though to discussing what they were going to do now, especially not if that meant it would make Niall cry again. 

“Hmmm… “ Niall barely had any room to move to in Liam’s arms because the older man had been holding him so tightly all night long, partly because he hadn’t wanted the boy to feel alone but also because he himself had kinda needed Niall to hold on to. “… Li?” 

“I’m here, love… “ Liam mumbled, pressing his lips against the blonde’s forehead and keeping them there for a moment, trying to make the moment last longer, where the younger boy wasn’t fully awake yet, where he could have still slipped back to sleep without having to face reality. 

He didn’t though, Niall kept moving some more and Liam was forced to lift his head when the blonde rubbed at his eyes before slowly blinking them open against the light, staring up at the older man with a sleepy expression on his face that very quickly turned into worries. “Did… did anything happen? How late is it, I… I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s okay, baby, it’s morning now and you needed your sleep.” Slowly stroking the blonde’s hair, Liam tried a smile before leaning down to kiss Niall’s lips, only briefly though, but he had been kinda craving a kiss for hours now, just a bit of normality in this whole mess. “Nothing happened, I don’t know how late it is, but… the sun’s already up.”

Nodding a bit, Niall looked away from Liam’s face, visibly swallowing before he looked into the older man’s eyes again, the question already hanging in the air between them before he even spoke up. “What… what’re we gonna do, Li?”

Of course Liam had known that question would come, he had had a whole night to come up with an answer or a solution, but as he stared down at the blonde, still stroking his hair and caressing his face, it was as if they were picking up right where they had left off. “I don’t know, babe. I think we should stay here a bit longer, maybe you can go back to sleep again if you want to. Or we could also try calling Harry again.”

“Yeah, he… he won’t be up at a time like this though… “ The blonde swallowed again, curling closer into Liam if any possible, playing with the strings of his hoodie. “Are we gonna drive back home? And go to a police station? We’d be safe there, right? Or… or we could turn on the TV and see if there’s any news… right?”

“We can… if you want to.” Liam actually didn’t want to, he was slowly starting to think that he was kinda liking the option of just staying here forever the very best. If they never went outside, no one would ever hurt Niall, no one would ever get to the boy, which was what Liam wanted, even if it meant he was going to go insane worrying.

Niall only shrugged a little bit, apparently also not sure if he even wanted to know what was going on, playing with Liam’s hoodie strings a bit more before his hand started to wander, over the older’s exposed neck and jaw, all the way to his cheek. When the younger boy spoke up again, his voice was only a whisper. “When I woke up… for a moment I almost thought it was just a dream.”

There was literally nothing Liam could think of to say, so he stayed quiet, instead leaning down a bit to kiss Niall’s temple, momentarily letting go of the blonde to cover the hand Niall had pressed up against the older’s cheek with his own. Which hadn’t been the best idea. “I-“

“Oh my god, Liam! Your hand!” The blonde’s eyes had grown so wide that Liam thought they would pop out, flinching when the younger boy sat up without a warning, holding the brunette’s injured hand in his lap above the blanket, so softly as if he was afraid of breaking it. “Is that… is that from you breaking the window?! Holy shit, Li, you gotta get that checked out somewhere, it’s all purple and black and… doesn’t it hurt?!”

“It’s fine.” Liam automatically tried to assure the boy, slowly sitting up as well but keeping his hand in Niall’s lap, allowing the blonde to very gently brush his fingers over the bruise. “It looks worse than it is, I promise, okay? It’s just a bruise, nothing else.”

“Yeah, a _massive_ bruise! Shit… you didn’t break it though, right? You can move it? We should… we should go to a hospital, Li, what if it’s seriously injured?!” Okay, this was definitely not what Liam had thought Niall would be freaking out over, but he could already see tears forming in the younger’s eyes again as he stared at the older’s hand, then back into Liam’s eyes.

“It’s not broken, baby, it’s fine, alright? You don’t have to be worried about me. C’mere.” Slowly pulling his hand out of Niall’s, Liam made sure to softly wrap his arms around the boy once more, not surprised when Niall almost melted into his embrace, resting his head on Liam’s shoulder, his body just shaking a little bit as Liam squeezed him softly. “Try and calm down, okay? Everything is going to be alright, we’ll see if there’s anything on the news and then we’ll decide what we’re gonna do, alright? Don’t freak out, Nialler, I’m here, we’re both fine.”

“Okay… “ That didn’t sound very convincing but Liam let it pass, hugging his boyfriend a little bit tighter until Niall allowed him to let go, looking at him as if the brunette genuinely knew what they were supposed to do. “Sorry for always freaking out, I… it’s just… I can’t believe any of this is happening and… thank you for… for always calming me down… “

“Baby… don’t apologize, okay? Anybody would be freaking out, I am too, but at least we’re together, right? And we’ll figure it all out.” Another lie, Liam even topped it off with a very fake smile, brushing his fingers down Niall’s cheek before grabbing a soft hold of his chin. “I’ll just quickly go to the bathroom, alright? And then I’ll turn on the TV, yeah?”

“Okay, I… can I come?” Liam hadn’t even moved just one single centimeter before Niall was already grabbing at his clothes, trying to keep him in bed, his eyes filled with panic again at the thought of Liam leaving him alone just to go the other room. Pretty sure Liam had never felt this terrible in his whole entire life.

“Sure, c’mon.” He kissed the blonde’s lips once, softly, smiling at him as if everything was alright and maybe Niall looked the tiniest bit less freaked out when they climbed out of bed.

Niall sat on the edge of the bathtub biting his fingernails while Liam used the toilet, not having been able to all night long because he had been terrified about waking the blonde or having him wake up alone in bed. They both looked really exhausted, Niall especially, his eyes were red shot and puffy and he was even paler than usual, and Liam actually looked quite the same as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

Once they had both settled back in bed and Liam had grabbed the remote on the way back from the bathroom, he wasn’t too surprised when the blonde half sat on top of Liam, not making a secret about what he wanted so the older man just pulled him into his lap completely, keeping his arm wrapped tightly around Niall’s waist. 

“Do you think that… that there’s anything on the news?” Niall sounded as nervous and worried as Liam felt, he was again biting his fingernails and the older man would have normally stopped him, but he could barely even think straight right now. What if he turned on the TV and they found out something horrible? 

“I don’t know, babe… I-“

Before Liam could finish his sentence, or even just find the power button on the remote, they both flinched terribly as the hotel phone suddenly started ringing and Liam felt as if somebody had just punched him in the stomach, his palms getting sweaty before he even fully realized what was happening. 

“Oh my god, what if… what if they know where we are?! Don’t pick up, Li, don’t-“

“Shhh, I’m sure it’s just the reception, Niall, everything’s fine.” Rubbing the younger’s arm, Liam tried to calm him down as he leaned over, making sure Niall didn’t fall out of his lap as he stretched a bit, hesitating for only a moment as he picked up the phone. Never before had he ever wished to be called by a hotel reception so fucking badly. “… Yes?”

Niall was literally SHAKING in Liam’s lap, looking at him with wide frightened eyes, probably holding his breath as he waited for the older man to show any reaction at all. And he didn’t have to wait for very long. 

“Liam?” It was Louis.

“Louis! Holy shit, are you... are you okay?! Where are you? Are you with Harry?!” Liam couldn’t believe it, he was pretty sure none of his questions were making sense, he was just so bloody relieved that he could actually feel his chest loosening, almost wanting to let out a laugh and Niall looked quite the same. Fuck, at least Louis was alright.

“I’m fine, and Harry is too… are you guys at a hotel?” His voice sounded a bit weird, but Liam was barely even aware of it, because… why would Louis sound normal after what had happened last night?! “Harry didn’t recognize the number so I thought I’d call back for him, I mean… with everything going on.”

“Yeah, I… we’re at a hotel.” For some reason, Liam had hesitated, because… why did Louis not sound super freaked out? Why did he not ask 100 questions at a time about what the hell had happened? Liam had never told him about what was going on with his dad. “Look, Lou, I… I owe you an explanation, about last night and… and everything going on with my dad, I’m just… I’m so fucking glad you’re alright and I’m so sorry we left without you, it all went so bloody fast, how did you get out? What happened? Do you know anything that’s going on, we haven’t turned on the TV yet and we turned off our phones, I’ve got no idea where my parents are or if they’re alright. I called the police last night and told them everything I know, but both me and Niall got text messages from a number neither of us knows telling us to keep quiet and I… we’re basically stuck here, we’ve got no idea what to do or what’s going on.”

There was silence, for a tad too long and Liam was about to ask Louis if he was still there when the older man spoke again, taking a deep breath and making the brunette even more suspicious. What the hell? “I don’t really know what’s going on either, but… I already know the full story, Li, it was on the news, they didn’t mention you by name, or your parents, but… I knew who they were talking about because now it all matches up, I… I don’t know where your parents are though, I don’t think they’ve made an arrest either, I just… look, I’d actually feel much better if we didn’t talk on the phone somehow? Me and Harry are at my place, can you… do you think it’d be safe if you guys came here?”

“I don’t know, I… “ Liam was actually highly alarmed now but he didn’t want to worry Niall, it’s just… if it was on the news, then… everybody knew that it had to have been Liam who had called the police, that he hadn’t followed the orders in the text message and… did that mean they shouldn’t leave? Did that mean they were in even more danger, especially if no one had been arrested yet? “I’m not sure if… if we should leave.”

There was some more hesitation from Louis’ side and Liam could feel Niall’s eyes burning literal holes into his face, his arms wrapped tightly around the older man’s neck, fingers curled into the hair in the back of his neck, pulling a bit too firmly sometimes. “I’m sure all they wanted was to get revenge on your dad though.”

“Yeah, but… I have no idea where my parents are and… people got shot, Lou, people _died_ , I don’t know if… if I wanna take a risk and… you probably shouldn’t either, I mean, I’m sure you and Harry are safe, but still. They’ve got Niall’s number as well.” Why would Louis suggest that they meet up anyways, like sure, Liam would feel kinda better if there were 4 of them instead of 2, but… driving to Louis’ apartment right now didn’t seem like the smartest decision to Liam. “Maybe we should all just stay where we are, for a bit at least, until there’s some more news. And maybe you guys should turn off your phones too, just in case.”

“Yeah, I… maybe. Where are you guys anyways?” Louis asked kinda randomly and Liam didn’t tell him immediately because what if someone had found a way to listen to their conversation, but then he thought, well… if anything happened, at least Louis would know where they were, so he told him the name of the hotel, making Niall’s eyes go a bit wider in surprise. “Shit, you drove that far? I… I just basically ran out and then I drove home to Harry and… fuck, it was really crazy, it all went so bloody fast. I still can’t believe... and people died, I mean... this is fucking insane...”

“I know, I… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about what’s going on with my dad, I just… I had no bloody idea something like this would happen, I mean… I don’t even know if… if my parents are alright… “ Liam was a second from asking Louis to try and call his parents, since there was less danger for him to do it, but… the brunette quickly decided against it. Partly because he didn’t wanna feel even more guilty, but also because… what would he do if Louis told him his parents weren’t picking up their phones? What would he do if he basically had confirmation that they weren’t alright? For now he could pretend, try to calm himself by telling himself that it was all fine, that they had had enough bodyguards, but what would he do if he had confirmation that they were either held by somebody or… or dead? “Just… make sure you two stay safe, okay? And… if you hear anything… “

“Yeah, I… I’ll call if anything’s… going on. I just hope that… that they’ll catch them soon.” Even if they did, people had still died and Liam’s stomach turned every time he thought about it, that people he probably knew had died, because of what his dad had done, that Niall or Louis could have died or gotten hurt, his parents, who had been gone so quickly all of a sudden and… Liam needed to lock all of that into the back of his head if he didn’t wanna start bawling. 

“Yeah, me too… “ About to hang up for a second, Liam suddenly became aware again of Niall sitting in his lap and looking at him while nervously playing with his hair. “Hey, umm… is Harry near you? I think maybe Niall wants to talk to him.”

“Oh, umm… Harry’s actually asleep, so… “ Louis had answered immediately, crushing Liam’s hope and causing his heart to break a little bit because the blonde had seemed really excited all of a sudden. “But he’s fine, I promise… Niall doesn’t have to worry about him.”

“Okay, thanks, I’ll… tell him.” Liam slowly shook his head at the blonde, hating himself for causing Niall’s facial expression to fall, tightening his arm a bit around the younger’s waist. “So we’ll talk later then?”

“Yeah… stay safe, Li.” And then Louis had hung up the phone and Liam was left feeling kinda better but also… kinda nervous, for some reason. At least there was one less person to worry about, or two actually.

“What’d he say? Where’s Harry?” Niall looked like he would explode if Liam didn’t answer him immediately, so the brunette made sure to quickly put the phone back on the nightstand before hugging the younger boy more tightly, kissing his cheek and attempting a smile.

“He’s fine, he’s asleep, they’re at Louis’ place. Louis wanted us to come, but… I think we’re safer if we stay here for a bit longer, because apparently there’s been no arrest yet, but… the whole story was on the news, without any names though, so whoever sent us those text messages knows I’ve talked to the police.” Liam didn’t want to worry Niall, but he also didn’t want to purposely hold back information just because the blonde got freaked out more easily, he still deserved to know whatever was going on. “And I still don’t know where my parents are… “

“Maybe… maybe we can… try to call them? Or Louis could.” Bless Niall for wanting to help, Liam held him a bit tighter, brushing some hair out of the boy’s face.

“No, I… I’m not sure if I even wanna know, there’s nothing I can do. And also… “ Hesitating for a moment, Liam looked away from Niall as he took a breath, not really knowing how to explain the way he was feeling right now, somehow torn. “You know… what happened last night… people I know _died_ , I’ve got no idea who and… Louis could have died, _you_ could have and… it’s my dad’s fault, all of it. I mean… obviously he didn’t know what was going to happen, but… if it weren’t for him… and I don’t wish him anything bad, or my mum, it’s just… I don’t know.”

“I know what you mean… it’s like… when Greg yells at my mum and she starts to cry, I don’t want her to get hurt but also… it’s her own fault for never having tried to make him shut up. Sorry, that was… a bad example.” The blonde looked kinda guilty as their eyes met once more but Liam actually felt himself smiling for real, finally, kissing the younger’s lips this time. No matter what happened, at least he had Niall. 

“Thanks, love. I’m sure that they’re alright, though, I don’t know why, but… I’ve got a feeling. And there’s nothing we can do, so… “ So Liam might as well tell himself that things were going to be alright. 

“Yeah… I’m sure they’re fine too, Li.” Niall’s smile was brief and small, but it was definitely there, he leaned in to kiss Liam’s cheek before burying his head against the older’s shoulder, dropping his arms a bit and the brunette leaned back against the pillows, keeping a tight hold on the other boy. “You know what’s kinda weird?”

“Hm?” Liam made, thinking about something completely different right now, his hand brushing over Niall’s arm in even motions. 

“I tried Harry’s phone last night, but it was Louis who called back, even though he said Harry’s asleep.” Wait… what? “Did he just take Harry’s phone and call back a random number?”

“I… “ Okay, this WAS kinda strange, especially because… “He said Harry wanted him to call back instead because he didn’t know the number.”

“I thought… I thought Harry’s asleep.” Oh. 

When Niall lifted his head off of Liam’s shoulder once more and they looked at each other, the brunette felt his stomach dropping and his hands getting kinda sweaty because… what the hell did this mean? What if… oh god, what if Louis wasn’t home, what if… but how else would he have gotten Harry’s phone? “Maybe… maybe that was a while ago, and Louis only called back now. Maybe he wanted Harry to go to sleep first.” 

Okay, that didn’t sound convincing at all, Liam knew even before he had finished talking, could see it in Niall’s face, how the panic was slowly creeping back. Shit. “What if somebody’s at his place, Li?! What if they forced him to call you and… oh god, you told him where we are, you told him the hotel and everything!”

“But… but he didn’t sound like somebody was forcing him, he just… he sounded like somebody who just lived through what happened last night.” Fuck, what were they supposed to do now? If they left, Louis wouldn’t be able to call them back anymore if anything happened, he wouldn’t know anymore where they were and also, what if somebody had followed them here after all, and was now only waiting for them to come outside? But if they didn’t leave and somebody was in fact threatening Louis… they’d just be sitting here waiting while… “Do you wanna leave?”

“I don’t know, I… where would we go? Do you think that… that they could break in here? Oh my god… this is like some really bad movie, I… I wanna leave but I’m also too scared to leave the room and… can’t we just… call the police again? You know how in movies, um, people get protection by the police and stuff?” Niall was again about to lose it, but this time, Liam simply could not try and pretend that he himself was fine because holy shit… he was definitely NOT fine. 

“I don’t know if… I mean, we can leave if you want, and drive to a police station? It’s what they wanted me to do last night anyways.” Honestly, no matter what, nothing ever sounded like a really good idea to Liam and sometimes he really thought they were both overreacting, but then he remembered the text messages and the fact that people had fucking died and… shit. “Should we leave?”

Niall seemed kinda unsure as well, but he did nod eventually, not making any attempts though to get off of the older man but rather holding tighter onto him and Liam tightened his embrace as well, pressing his lips against the younger boy’s forehead, and then he his nose and finally his mouth, trying to calm himself. They had each other, everything would be fine, it had to be. 

“I’m just glad that… that Harry and Louis are okay… hopefully, I mean. But… they wouldn’t like… Louis wouldn’t have called and asked about where we are, if he had known they’d come and find us, right? Why would he do that?” Liam could think of a hundred reasons why but he stayed quiet, pulling Niall’s head back down onto his shoulder and rubbing the younger boy’s arm soothingly. 

“I’m sure they’re fine, baby… I’m sure we’ll see them soon too and that the police are gonna arrest whoever did this really soon, I mean… not like they don’t know who did it, right?” Not that Liam had had given them any names because he himself didn’t even know any, but it was the police and who knows, maybe they had even talked to his dad and then he might have been able to help out. Or maybe none of that had happened and Liam was facing a very rude awakening he had no idea about yet.

They didn’t actually leave immediately, they just stayed in bed a bit longer holding onto each other and Liam did almost sleep in at one point, so he quickly suggested a shower before he seriously started drifting off. Niall was too scared to shower with Liam because he said it would be safer if one of them kept looking at the front door, just in case. Even though Liam didn’t really think that that was the best idea, he agreed to the blonde’s plan, anything to make him feel better.

When they did leave, an hour and a half had passed by, or maybe even more. Liam actually told Niall to stay behind at first, so he could check the hallway, feeling not only stupid but also even more paranoid when the door had fallen closed behind them. It was kind of a really exposed feeling and honestly, as soon as they had checked out and were walking to Liam’s car, the older man wanted to turn back again.

Niall was almost ripping his arm off and had anyone been watching them, people would have thought they were crazy because they were literally being so suspicious that it was ridiculous. The blonde also constantly turned his head into every direction, flinching at every tiny sound and Liam couldn’t even blame him because he also made sure to search the car before they got inside, locking it just in case. 

“We’ll be fine, okay? They’ve got no idea where we are, it’ll be fine.” Liam had asked the receptionist for the nearest police station and it had taken ages for them to describe it because unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly anywhere near them. That was fine though, they had driven away from the city far enough, it wouldn’t matter if they drove back a bit in that direction. Right? “Should we turn on the radio?”

“No, I don’t think… I don’t think I wanna hear it. Also… we can concentrate better when it’s quiet, right?” God, Liam hated himself for having made Niall feel this way, where he couldn’t even sit still for two second because he wanted to look out the window and check if anybody was following them even though the street was pretty much empty when Liam pulled out of the hotel parking lot. 

“Okay, babe. Should we talk about something? You know, something unrelated? To take our minds off a bit?” Not that Liam hadn’t tried that already, Niall had just always somehow managed to get the topic back to their current situation or last night.

“Like what?” The blonde sounded kinda distracted, his foot was going up and down in the passenger seat, his fingers making uneven sounds on the door handle and Liam would have maybe asked him to stop on any other day. 

“Hmm, like… when are your next exams?” That was literally the first and only thing that popped into Liam’s head, he caught himself looking into the rearview mirror a few too many times, trying not to regret leaving the hotel. It was too late now, they had decided together, this was the best option they had. 

“Ummm… I don’t even know, I’d have to look into my calendar, I… god, I even have to hand in an assignment on Tuesday and… “ Okay, right, uni was not the best topic because it just linked back to the fact that Niall would probably have to skip tomorrow and maybe even longer because some crazy ass was out to get revenge on Liam’s dad. “Can we… talk about something else?”

“Did you already call back your mum?” It came out of nowhere, but it was kind of a question Liam had been wondering about, because he didn’t like the thought of Niall not speaking to his family anymore because of last weekend. Being completely honest though, those kinda problems seemed kinda stupid to Liam now. 

“No, I… maybe I will. Once this is all over, I’m gonna call and… and I’ll even apologize to Greg.” The laugh Niall let out sounded a little bit chocked and Liam once again regretted his topic of choice. There wasn’t anything they could talk about that wouldn’t make them feel like shit, was there? Nothing that wouldn’t remind them again that they were basically on the run from some criminals who had maybe killed Liam’s parents?

Well, maybe there was one thing. It wasn’t well thought through at all, Liam just stayed quiet for a moment, his head hurting from all the worrying and the anxiety, so he basically just blurted out with it, desperate to fill the silence with _something_. “Do you wanna move in with me when you’re done with uni?”

“I… “ Niall sounded really shocked, the older man felt the blonde’s eyes on him while he tried to focus on the street, for a second regretting the question, but then again… whatever, once this was over he would marry Niall on the spot if that’s what the younger boy wanted. “If you… want me to.”

“I’d always want you to, if _you_ want to. Hell, you could… move in tomorrow even.” Liam’s laugh sounded kinda weird but he really meant it, reaching over with one hand to finally keep down Niall’s leg, at the same time rubbing his thumb over his jeans. “You know how much I love having you around, Nialler, I’d love if we could spend _every_ night and morning together.”

“Me too… “ The blonde’s voice was a bit more quiet, probably because he was thinking about Liam’s question still, but the older man wasn’t worried. He knew that Niall wouldn’t wanna fully give up his dorm just yet, he just wanted him to know that it was definitely an option. “I do wanna move in with you, when I’m done with uni, but I… I don’t really know about… like, right now, because… I mean, I’d kinda have to talk to Harry as well and… sometimes my classes do start really early and… and then-“

“Baby, it’s fine, no need to explain yourself, yeah? Just wanted you to know that I really wouldn’t mind, okay?” Though it felt wrong, Liam couldn’t help but smile a bit about Niall’s desperate attempts to not hurt Liam in any way or make him sad. He really was the fucking cutest, wasn’t he? 

“Okay… thank you.” Niall sounded relieved even though they had had this conversation already, Liam also vaguely remembered having it with Louis, but he pushed that into the back of his head, not necessarily wanting to think about his best friend right now. “You know... you know something I really want that I never told you about yet?”

“What? Do I have to be scared?” Liam laughed, for the first time feeling a little bit better, his heart warming when he felt Niall intertwining their fingers and pulling their hands into his lap. 

“No, you don’t have to be scared. I hope.” There was something like a chuckle coming out of Niall’s mouth that almost sounded like music to Liam’s ears. Maybe if they just kept on talking and talking, all the bad things would eventually slip away and once they were there it’d turn out that they had nothing to worry about anymore. “I really wanna have a dog. Like, I always wanted one but I was never allowed to get one and there’s no possibility at my dorm either, but… I really want one, after uni.”

“We can definitely get a dog, or two even, there’s enough space. Or we could also move, I’ve been thinking of moving before we even met, actually.” Actually, Liam almost got excited thinking about this now, about their future together, and just because he apparently had no filter anymore when he was desperate to keep them both distracted, he just kept on talking without thinking. “Do you want kids?”

“Ummm... Yes. Do you?” Niall’s answer had been more careful this time, as if he wasn’t quite sure what kinda answer Liam was hoping for, but luckily, it had been exactly that. Maybe they should have had THAT talk a bit sooner, but then again… they had started their whole relationship off the wrong way around anyways. 

“Me too, definitely.” Being forced to stop the car because of traffic, Liam used the chance to throw the blonde boy a smile, squeezing his fingers a bit and it was the first time since last night that Niall genuinely smiled at him, without panic written all across his face and eyes. “I better not ask you to marry me right now.”

“Don’t you dare, Liam, that would be the least romantic proposal ever and anyways, I would say no.” It sounded more like a joke, but Liam still pretended to be fake surprised and disappointed, making the younger boy laugh.

“What?! Why would you say no?” Of course Liam wouldn’t have actually done it, they hadn’t even been together for THAT long, it just felt like it because things were going so well, because they were so much more intense than anything Liam had ever experienced before.

“Because I’m still in uni and because we only just now talked about whether we want kids or not. ‘m sure there’s tons of other stuff people need to talk about before proposing, like… how they celebrate Christmas or things like that.” Niall actually sounded somewhat serious now and Liam considered it for a moment, trying not to get too excited about the prospect of actually getting to celebrate things like Christmas or New Year with Niall. “Also, I’m only 22, I wanna wait a few years before I get married.”

“Damn… you really do have a lot of rules, don’t you?” The older man teased, chuckling when Niall let out a huff. “Don’t worry, babe, I don’t mind at all, we’ll do it all exactly how you want it.”

“No, I wanna do it how we both want it, not just me. You always do everything for me already, it wouldn’t be fair.” For some reason, Niall sounded damn serious about it and when Liam turned his head to look at him, he could see it in his face as well. 

“Whatever makes you happy makes me happy too, so we’ll probably end up doing it how you want it anyways.“ Liam shrugged, smirking when he saw the younger boy rolling his eyes, but he seemed to like that answer anyways, leaning over out of nowhere just to kiss the older man’s cheek while he was driving. At this point, the brunette had almost forgotten about why they were even having this conversation, that it was supposed to distract them. “You know… I’ve never really thought about marrying with anybody else before.”

“Never?” Niall asked, kinda sounding a bit stunned and a little also as if he didn’t believe Liam, but it was true.

“No, I don’t know, it’s never been like this. I mean, it was serious, sometimes, but… not _this_ serious.” Honestly, Liam couldn’t even picture himself anymore being with somebody else and moving on from Niall, he couldn’t have even imagined a situation where he would have wanted to, he had never met anybody like Niall, and he probably never would again.

“That’s … kinda funny, isn’t it? That it’s me, I mean, the first person you chose to just be your fuck buddy.” The blonde seemed to find that highly amusing, but he was very right after all, it WAS kinda funny, something Liam had never expected, but maybe that was why it had happened. Because he hadn’t been trying to force it. “You know… you know that Harry’s been calling you my sugar daddy ever since I told him how much tip you’ve given me at the golf course? And he’s still sometimes doing it to this day.”

“I’d like to say I’m surprised, but… I actually knew it anyways, Louis’ been saying the same. It was kinda true though, when we had our arrangement, that was actually exactly what I had in mind, I just didn’t wanna use the exact term sugar daddy and risk scaring you off.” God, Liam remembered lying awake the night before that, trying to figure out what to say, not at all having expected Niall to be SO eager to say yes. 

“Li… you know I was thinking about nothing besides kissing you after the first time we met, right? I would have literally said yes to anything, as stupid as that sounds.” Though Liam liked to pretend that he didn’t know that, he did of course, throwing a quick glance at the younger boy and winking at him, getting him to roll his eyes once more. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know.”

“I’m not pretending, I’ve known it ever since you didn’t even want to have just one more day to think about it before saying yes. I just like hearing you say it.” Laughing, Liam held tighter onto Niall’s hand when the younger boy tried to playfully pull his away, pretending to be mad, so the brunette decided to keep going, just to see his boyfriend’s reaction. “Remember when you were so eager to blow me on my couch and you couldn’t talk afterwards?”

“Oh my god, Liam! Stop bringing that up, it’s only sexy when we’re naked.” He was no doubt getting blushed as hell and it only made Liam laugh harder. “Shut up… “

“Awww, come on, baby, it was really hot. I promise I didn’t find it amusing at all back then, only now thinking about, I kinda find it a bit amusing how worried I was about you.” Liam really had been worried, which, looking back, maybe made him look really vain, but… “Actually, I just wanted you to sleep in my bed, I wasn’t actually that worried.”

“I knew it.” Niall sounded very proud of himself, even if Liam was 99% sure that the blonde had had no clue just how much the brunette had wanted him to sleep in his bed all these times because he had still been unsure about it when they had been in Paris together. “So I wasn’t the only one with a crush.”

“Hmmm, it wasn’t really a crush at first though, I mostly just wanted somebody to sleep in my bed.” Okay, that had been kinda mean, Liam immediately wanted to take it back after it was out, but hearing Niall fake gasp next to him calmed him down, a little bit at least.

“So you’re saying you just wanted _somebody_ in your bed?!” Just to make sure Niall wasn’t genuinely pissed off, Liam threw a quick look over, biting the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t start laughing at the blonde.

“Ummm… kinda. But hey, I did fall in love with you, and I love-“

“Nope, it’s too late now, _Payno_ , I’m already mad at you.” To proof his point, Niall did pull his hand out of Liam’s this time, just to cross his arms in front of his chest, pouting as he stared out of the window. 

“Awww, baby, I’m sorry. I love you, it just wasn’t love at first sight, but honestly, I don’t believe in that anyways. Do you?” Liam was really trying here, also to not start chuckling at Niall’s poor attempts to be mad at him, leaving his hand on the younger’s thigh. 

“I don’t know, Liam, why are you asking me that when you clearly don’t even care who’s your boyfriend as long as it’s _someone_.” His voice was over dramatically sarcastic, he was really damn good at that, never failing to amuse the brunette.

“Hey, that’s not what I said, love. But, fine, if you wanna be mad at me you can… guess then you also won’t care if I do this.” Not giving the younger boy a chance to prepare himself, Liam already had his fingers poking into Niall’s ribcage and tickling him as best as possible while driving. Obviously, he wouldn’t have done it had they not been in traffic anyways and stopping every few seconds.

“Liam! Stop!” Niall was ticklish as HELL, he was giggling literally one second in, trying to move away from the older’s hand but there was nowhere to go for him except trying to press himself into the door, Liam’s fingers easily worming their way past Niall’s arms though, making the blonde laugh harder. “F- Li!”

“Say you forgive me.” Liam ordered playfully, not being able to hold back his laughter either, feeling fondness spreading in his chest because the blonde was just so damn cute when he was giggling. “C’mon, say it, Nialler.”

“I-I… f-fuck, Li, s-stop!” He was a mess already, no doubt there were actual tears forming in the younger’s eyes as he was squealing and laughing, the people next to them in the other car probably thinking that something really weird was going on. Not that Liam cared. “L-Liam!”

“Just three words, Ni, and I’ll-“

“NO, STOP!” It was when Niall’s voice was so loud that Liam almost lost control of the steering wheel that his hand froze, the blonde’s fingers wrapped tightly around Liam’s wrist and before Liam could ask if he had hurt the boy, if anything was wrong, Niall had already blurted out with it between heavy breaths. “This car behind us… I think it’s following us.”

“What? What car?” Almost immediately, the whole banter was forgotten, their whole conversation with it, and Liam pulled his hand away from Niall’s gentle grip, within a second slipping back into his serious and slightly panicked mode. Suddenly Liam felt really dumb for not having paid close enough attention during pretty much the whole drive. 

“The black one, the one with the tainted windows. I’ve seen it like two minutes after we drove away from the hotel, but then it disappeared, and before when you started tickling me, I noticed it again, it’s the same license plate, I remembered it just in case.” Damn, thank god for Niall being so paranoid. 

There definitely was a black car with tainted windows, not exactly behind them but on the other lane with another car between them. As the windows were obviously not see through and also because Liam couldn’t have been looking that closely anyways, he had no idea who was driving the car, if they really were following them, but… how could they have? How could they have found them, two minutes after leaving?

“Li… what if they really are following us?! How far away are we from that police station?” Niall sounded all scared again and Liam really hated this, even more now that they had found a good way to distract themselves. Only, maybe getting distracted hadn’t been a good idea after all.

“I don’t know, half an hour, or a bit less, the traffic isn’t really helping. Maybe it’s just a random car, maybe they were trying to avoid the traffic by taking another road before and now-“

“But what if they weren’t?!” The blonde interrupted and he did have a point, there was no reason to speculate about this car, none at all, because there was definitely a possibility that they were being followed. “Does that mean they have Louis, and Harry? Does this mean they made Louis ask where we are so they could find us? Oh my god… do you think Harry is even… I mean, it was Louis who called you and… what if Harry is hurt?!”

“I… I have no idea, Ni, but I… Louis didn’t sound like anything was going on, he just sounded stressed out from last night and a bit distracted, I… if somebody really found us then… maybe they did something to my car, like, when we got to the event last night, it doesn’t have to mean that Louis or Harry are in danger.” But it was pretty likely, which Liam didn’t want to say right now though because the situation was stressful enough as it was. 

“We should have stayed at the hotel, if they knew where we were anyways and they didn’t do anything, it means we would have been safest there… right?! Oh my god… I don’t… I don’t wanna die, Liam, and I don’t want you to get hurt or-“

“Shhh, calm down, okay? Please, babe, try and be calm. We don’t even know if that car is following us or not, we’ll just drive to that police station and everything will be fine, alright? C’mon, breathe, Nialler.” Liam squeezed the younger’s leg, hoping that he himself didn’t sound too freaked out because he WAS. 

“I am breathing, I-“ And then Niall randomly broke off in the middle of his sentence and yet again Liam almost lost control of the car, this time because his heart made a massive jump, knowing that something else was going in behind them now because Niall was leaning forward, as if he was getting a better look in the side mirror, and then he turned his head around to look out the back window. “Liam… “

“What? What’s going on?!” Liam was losing his mind here, his hands were getting sweaty and he knew he needed to concentrate on the street and on the damn car, but how was he supposed to do that?!

“There’s… another car now and… it looks _exactly_ like the other one, it even has the same license plate, only one letter different and… they’re definitely following us, Li, oh my god, we… we should turn on our phones and call someone, we-“

“No, no, no, don’t turn on your phone! If it’s not them then they’ll definitely find us if you turn on your phone, they… they can’t do anything on this street, there’s other cars and we just… we just have to keep on driving and once we’re outside the police station, they won’t be able to do anything. Okay? It’s fine, they have no idea where we are driving, turn back around and sit normally, pretend like you didn’t see anything, okay?” Honestly, Liam didn’t even know how he was able to think of all these things when he literally just wanted to start crying and panicking, but… he couldn’t, he needed to keep Niall safe, no matter what. 

“Li… I’ve got a really bad feeling, like… _really_ bad, I… if we die-“

“We won’t die, okay? Nobody dies today, Niall, try and stay calm, everything’s fine.” Honestly, Liam felt like a fucking idiot for preaching that everything was fine since last night because NOTHING was fine and right now, he wasn’t sure if anything would be fine ever again.

They didn’t talk for a few minutes, Niall was trying to noisily breathe more evenly again while the brunette was ripping his brain apart looking for an answer. There was nothing they could do, absolutely nothing, he couldn’t just sit in this car and hope for the best while they were possibly being followed and who knows what else.

“Niall… take my phone, turn it on and text Paddy, okay?” Liam’s bodyguard hadn’t been there last night, so he was probably at home or something, had possibly texted Liam a few hundred times already and… Liam had to at least try and tell somebody what was going on and where they were. He would have called the police but… he couldn’t just randomly call the police because they were scared when they didn’t even know what was going on. “Tell him what’s going on and where we are and then delete the message after sending it.”

“I… okay?” Clearly, Niall was confused but he did as he was told, fishing Liam’s phone out of his pockets and typing in the pin code after the brunette had told him. “Shit… you’ve got like, ten thousand missed calls and text messages… “

“From who?” Well, probably all the people Liam knew, seeing as it had been on the news and everything… “Anything from my parents?”

“No… I don’t recognize any of the names… Paddy texted a few times though… Louis didn’t even text.” The blonde randomly scrolled through Liam’s messages and the last part seemed strange to Liam for a moment, but then he remembered that he hadn’t texted Louis either. 

“Ignore the messages, just text Paddy and turn the phone off again. And tell him to not try and call me or answer the message. Oh, and text him the license plates too.” They didn’t exactly have a lot of time, plus Liam was trying to keep an eye on the two cars behind them, which wasn’t very hard and also super unsettling.

After Niall had slipped the phone back into Liam’s pockets, the older man felt slightly better, but not really, because five minutes later, the sound Niall made next to him wasn’t very comforting. “Umm… Li… there’s… a third car.”

“Fuck.” This time, Liam didn’t have it in him anymore to try and calm Niall down, he didn’t really have any doubt anymore now that they really were being followed, and if that was the case, they needed to think about what they were gonna do if they didn’t manage to escape. “Ni, I know this is really fucking scary and terrifying, but just in case… just in case anything happens or we-“

“What?! You said we’d be fine, you-“

“I know, I know, baby, this is just… just in case, alright? If anything happens, don’t tell anybody that you knew about what’s going on with my dad, unless it’s the police, okay? Just pretend you have NO idea what’s going on, and don’t mention Louis or Harry. Also, my bank account passwords and all that stuff is in the safe in my bedroom, the code is the day we met.” Liam had changed it a while ago, because he was changing it all the time and at some point he had run out of combinations, so… 

“Why… why are you telling me this? You’re not… nothing will happen to you, you… you promised, Liam!” The brunette knew that he was only freaking Niall out even more, but he HAD to tell him these things, because fuck it, there was no reason anymore to pretend like everything was fine.

“Baby, nothing will happen to me, okay? I’m just telling you all these things IF anything ever happens, yeah? Not saying it will.” Squeezing Niall’s hand, Liam threw another glance into the rearview mirror, pretty damn glad that the blonde wasn’t paying attention to the cars right now. “If… you know, if… for any reason, you can only safe yourself if you leave me behind or… they make you choose, then… please choose yourself.”

“What?! No! I would NEVER do that, Liam, I-“

“Shhh, Ni, listen to me. It’s not you they want, okay? It’s about my dad, and therefore about me, if… and I’m not saying that will happen, but IF they are in fact following us and… then it’s me they want, so it doesn’t matter if you try to save yourself or not, because they probably wouldn’t… wouldn’t let me get away anyways, so please, _please_ , try to save yourself and don’t think about me.” This wasn’t very positive, but Liam meant it and he had to make Niall understand that, even though the blonde had started crying again and the brunette felt like an absolute asshole. He was, for bringing Niall into this situation, for risking the blonde’s life. “I love you, Niall.”

“S-Stop it, I… everything… e-everything will be f-fine… d-don’t say s-stuff like this, Li, I-“

“Get down. Now, Niall, get down in your seat.” While talking to the blonde, Liam had been watching the three cars behind them, having quickly realized that there was no way that they were gonna make it to that police station, or anywhere else for that matter. 

“W-“

“Just do it!” One of the cars had passed them by, so now it was driving in front of them, another one right behind them and the third one… was pulling up right next to them, luckily not before Niall had somewhat done what he had been told. “Shush, okay?” 

Before Liam could really prepare himself, the car next to them was rolling down one window and the brunette felt his heart speeding up, but he wasn’t surprised to see a man dressed in black sitting in the passenger seat, holding a gun aimed at them. There was a moment where Liam thought he was genuinely going to die, that this was it, and the only thing he could think about was still Niall, who would get hurt as well the second Liam lost control of the car.

It didn’t happen though.

The gun was probably just there do scare them, which it did, terribly, but the man never pulled the trigger, he just made some movement with his other hand and it didn’t take a genius to know what he wanted Liam to do. Follow the car in front of him, which was very clearly about to pull over into the service station just a few meters ahead. 

Liam gave a nod, though his hands were shaking and he had no bloody idea what was going to happen, but… if he didn’t follow their orders or tried to maybe call the police now that they really were in danger, they would shoot him, or ram his car off the street and either way, it would result in Niall getting hurt or… getting killed. Liam had never in his life felt like throwing up this much, it all felt like a nightmare, like things like that couldn’t actually happen in real life, and yet… yet here they were, having done everything wrong, from finish to start. It was Liam’s fault, if anyone’s, he was to blame for all of this.

“W-What’s… what’s going on?!” Niall was whispering, even though there was no need to anymore, also no need for him to get down anymore. They had already seen them and Liam was following their orders, there was nothing else to do. 

“Nothing, baby, it’s okay. I love you, I really do.” There was nothing else for Liam to say, he just threw a quick look over to the blonde, blinking back some tears before grabbing a hold of the younger’s hand. “Everything will be fine.”

Of course Niall wasn’t satisfied with that answer, he kept freaking out until he finally saw the cars, the gun still aimed at them, realizing what Liam was doing and then he started crying even more while telling Liam not to do it. But the older man had to, he had no fucking choice. “L-Liam… p-please d-don’t… we c-can… d-drive a-away o-or… m-maybe… maybe t-they w-wouldn’t r-really h-hurt us… m-maybe… “

It wasn’t a big service station, just a big parking lot basically with barely any cars there and Liam felt dizzy as he parked the car between two of the three black ones, far away from anybody else’s car, trying to say something to the blonde to calm him down, but he didn’t get another chance to.

They had both doors ripped open within a second, holding guns to their heads and motioning for them to get out while Niall was still bawling and sobbing and Liam only wished he could have held the boy, he didn’t care anymore what happened to him, he needed to make sure they let Niall go, no matter what it took.

“Well, well… look who we have, that went a lot smoother than expected. Search them and then put them in the car, we’ve wasted enough time already.” Liam had no idea who any of these men were, the one giving orders was probably the boss or something, he was grinning at Liam, as if he knew exactly who he was. Well, he most possibly did. “Don’t even think of trying anything, mate, just one sound from you and you can scrub your boyfriend’s brains from the pavement, got it?”

Liam pressed his lips together, throwing a look over at Niall while they were searching his pockets, taking his phone and his wallet before pushing him over to the third car. They were planning on putting them in different cars and Liam almost panicked, making eye contact with the blonde and trying to tell him without words that it’d be fine, that he loved him, but… there wasn’t really a need to.

“N-No… p-please d-don’t… N-No!” Niall was being so loud and fighting against the tight grip around both his arms that Liam was getting really scared they’d hurt him, or punch him to shut him up, but luckily, it didn’t happen. 

“Can’t we just get rid of him now? I thought we only wanted the son, I’ve got no time to play babysitter.” The man holding Niall asked, looking rather bored actually and not at all as if he was having a hard time holding the blonde.

“No, we’re not gonna kill anyone on a fucking public service station, you idiot. Just put them in the same car then if that shuts him up or people are going to start looking. We’ve got orders to bring them both, so hurry the fuck up.” Honestly, Liam had never felt so relieved in his entire life, being half pushed into the backseat of the same car after Niall, the younger’s face all red and wet, immediately clinging to Liam’s arm. Liam was sitting in the middle, the man that had just been holding Niall sitting on his other side and the one who he suspected was the boss getting into the passenger seat before turning around to Liam. “Now, both of you will shut the hell up, alright? I’ve got orders to bring both of you alive, but that won’t stop me from hurting you and you can trust me when I say that the boyfriend will go down first and you can watch, Payne.”

Nothing in this world could have gotten Liam to talk right now so he just nodded, still having to blink back tears, praying to god that Niall wouldn’t start sobbing again. He was just shaking terribly next to Liam, burying his face into the older’s shoulder and Liam rubbed his cheek and stroked his hair unevenly, not knowing what else to do because they were fucked, really fucked.

There were a ton of things crossing Liam’s mind right now, most of them not really turning into clear thoughts. There was no way out, they had texted Paddy, but what was he gonna do? He wouldn’t even know if they really were in danger or not, nobody knew, not even Louis, wherever the hell he was, or Liam’s parents, who were either hiding or dead and… how could any of this had happened? How in god’s name could this happen to anybody in real life?

“I’m expecting a money rise after all this bullshit… “ The man next to Liam grunted after a few minutes, causing Niall to shake even more but luckily he didn’t make any sounds. 

“If anyone gets a rise it’s me, so shut up.” Was all that came from the passenger seat and Liam really tried to figure out who these people were, if he had seen them anywhere before, but nothing would come to his mind and they hadn’t exactly introduced themselves by name. 

“Very funny, Z is gonna bust your ass for taking so long.” Then the man next to Liam laughed and the brunette was just left with confusion and a really weird memory of that nickname he had just heard combined with Louis sitting at the bar last night before Liam and Niall had approached him. 

What if… what if whoever was behind all this wasn’t a stranger to Liam after all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello guys! :D
> 
> hope youre all excited to find out whats actually going on ;)
> 
> also, id like to say one thing because of the ending and future chapters: no matter what is going on in real life, it has nothing at all to do with this fic, and it has nothing to do with what i think of the boys or what has happened or how they are actually like (which we all dont know obv), this is just a fic, and i need the drama! plus, its all hopefully still a mystery anyways!


	18. Chapter 18

It wasn’t hard to guess where they were driving to, even though the windows in the backseat were tainted from the inside as well and they blocked their sight by rolling up a black wall that parted the car into two sections, so they could talk in the front without Liam and Niall hearing anything.

They sat quiet for what felt like hours, and maybe it was because Liam knew they were driving back to London, it didn’t take a genius to figure that out. All while sitting there and holding Niall, who stopped shaking after a while but refused to lift his head from Liam’s shoulder, the brunette knew he needed to think of a solution, but nothing would come to his mind, it was just… blank.

Liam knew they were running out of time, he didn’t know what was going to happen, he didn’t know who had really been behind all of this, but it slowly dawned on him that things were actually a lot worse than he had thought. Honestly, what was Liam supposed to do? He didn’t have a gun, he had no idea where they were being taken to and for what purpose, all he knew was that he was terrified and that he needed to get Niall out of here, no matter how. 

When the car stopped after ages, Liam’s heart beat was increasing like crazy and he felt Niall shifting next to him, finally lifting his head and looking more terrified than the brunette had ever seen him, which was… very understandable. There were still tear tracks on Niall’s face and Liam made sure to dry them, brushing his thumb down the younger’s cheek and trying to tell him without words what he couldn’t say out loud. 

“Alright, time to get out, hurry up, assholes, we’re already running late.” The man that had been sitting next to Liam during the whole drive got out while already half yelling at them, so Liam made sure to move as quickly as possible, grabbing a tight hold of Niall’s hand, making sure the blonde stayed right behind him.

They were in a garage, a pretty dark one, but Liam didn’t really get to look around because they were ushered right away and inside an elevator. There would have been no chance to escape, absolutely none, there were like ten of these guys, all dressed in pretty dark colors and Liam actually didn’t really want to look them into the faces too obviously.

He made sure to somehow half keep Niall behind his own body, as if that would have helped anything but it made Liam feel a tiny bit better. No matter what was going to happen or where they were going, this was so bad and they were fucked, absolutely _fucked_ , and it actually felt so unreal, to try and come to terms with the fact that… that they might actually _die_.

Nobody talked, which made the whole situation even weirder, Niall almost fell over his own feet when they got off the elevator, but luckily Liam managed to hold him upright, promptly getting a shove in the back for not hurrying up. The building they were in kinda looked like it had once been an office, years ago, but there was no one there, everything was dirty and dark, the light coming in through the windows dimmed because there was another building right next to this one, the walls almost touching. Where the bloody hell were they?

There was a door at the end of a corridor they turned into after taking like ten turns and Liam could see the light shining out from underneath, his hands getting sweaty as he grabbed a tighter hold of Niall’s, feeling the younger boy shaking against him again, almost pressing himself against the older man’s body even while walking. Why had Liam never found it necessary to wear a gun, or at least own one, like his dad had advised him? Was that why? Had he always feared that something like this would happen?

“Go inside and keep your mouths shut.” The man behind Liam told them when Liam had hesitated after the guy, who he was now sure was the boss, had opened the door and entered the room behind. This was it, they were gonna die, Liam could feel it.

The door was closed immediately after they were inside and the bright light in the new room forced Liam to blink a few times before he could try and figure out where the hell they were and what was going on, making sure though to keep Niall behind himself.

“Fucking finally, what the hell took you so long to bring them here?! I gave you ONE bloody job and you got us all over the news, you asshole!” This was a new voice, coming from a man that didn’t look very much older than Liam himself, but somehow he felt like the face was familiar. Then again… maybe it was because he was also wearing black, or… wait, was he the one who had been sitting at the bar with Louis two nights ago?

“Technically, the one who got us all over the news is Payne’s son, but-“

“Quiet! I didn’t ask for your opinion, did I?!” Alright, the situation was just getting worse, this man, whoever it was, clearly had a few anger issues, strutting across the room now while a few other guys, possibly his friends because they all chuckled, stayed behind, sitting on some tables and chair, even on the floor. It actually seemed like they had walked right into some kinda college party. Except… everyone was visibly wearing guns and looked 10 times more dangerous. “So… who do we have here? Liam Payne, right? Geoff’s son? Nice to see you.”

Liam didn’t answer, partly because he had no idea what to say, but mostly because the other guy who had told him he would blow Niall’s head off if he opened his mouth was still in the same room. Even if he didn’t seem to have much authority here, or none at all actually.

Liam’s silence was met with even more laughter and the guy who was walking towards them suddenly grinned, not as if he was amused though, but rather as if he was planning on killing Liam very slowly and painfully. The brunette held Niall’s hand tighter, hearing the blonde let out a whimper quiet enough so only Liam could hear it. “What? You can’t speak, asshole? You just gonna stand there and glare at me and try to hide your little boyfriend? You’re a bit too late for that, mate, I already know him. Niall James Horan, I know your uni, I know where your dorm is, hell, I even know your family, but seems like you aren’t that close, huh? Your brother was only too happy to tell a complete stranger everything we wanted to know, I mean… not that we wouldn’t have found out otherwise, but it was much easier like this.”

Fucking Greg, Liam had no idea how they had gotten to him or why, but seeing as they knew everything about them, it didn’t seem very unlikely that they had possibly been following them, even a week ago when Niall’s family had been here to visit. Of course Greg wouldn’t have shut his mouth if anybody pretended to know Niall.

“Looking at your faces, it almost seems like you don’t even know why you’re here. Although… I’m pretty sure you know why, Liam, seeing as you already told the police the whole story. Not that I care, they’re never gonna find you anyways, maybe your corpses in a week or so, haven’t quite decided yet.” The guy grinned, he was walking up and down, playing with a knife and Liam just couldn’t keep quiet anymore, he just couldn’t.

“Where are my parents?” Something told him he didn’t wanna know, that he wouldn’t like the answer, but he just needed to hear it, if what he thought was true or not. 

“Hmmm… “ The other man actually pretended to think about it, as if it was a hard question and Liam tried to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to hear. “Last time I saw them, your mother was barely alive, and as for your dad the fucking bastard, let’s say… he’s getting what he deserves.”

No idea what that meant, but Liam was pretty sure it meant they were dead, but somehow the news didn’t shock him, because he had known all along anyways, had maybe even known the second he had decided to leave everyone behind and just try to get Niall outside. And now he hadn’t even managed that, hadn’t even managed to keep Niall safe even though it was all he had wanted. 

“Do you even know what he did? Your fucking father? Has he told you the whole story?” The mood had shifted and Liam could almost feel it in the air, could feel the other man getting angrier, and he had no idea how to stop it or what to say, so he just moved Niall behind himself even further, even though it wouldn’t have saved him in case something happened.

“He told me enough.” Liam hoped his voice wasn’t sounding too shaky and somewhat firm, because the truth was, he really questioned whether his dad had told him the whole story, had kinda suspected for a whole while that it was way worse than he had been told.

There was a laugh that Liam could feel in his bones, goosebumps rising all over his skin. “There’s actually so much we have in common, Liam… you know, I could have been you right now, I could have been the one whose dad turns out to be a fucking snitch and builds a million dollar empire, but instead... instead I get to see your father standing over mine and blowing his fucking head off before ratting us all out. Your dad, Liam, your dad was the fucking _boss_ , along with mine, they were like brothers.”

“I… “ All of a sudden, Liam felt kinda dizzy, he had tried to tell himself that no matter what this guy told him, he would try to view it critically, he would try to not immediately take it for the truth, but… this was the truth, wasn’t it? His dad had killed somebody for that money? He had been… the boss in a bloody gang.

“Not quite what you expected, huh? I mean, gotta give it to Geoff, he was really smart about it all, no one suspected anything, not even the police when he ratted us out, I know he probably bribed the judges or whatever, somehow blamed my dad’s death on an accident, but… I guess he didn’t expect that I’d make it out of jail alive. Turns out you don’t die in jail for drug dealing and theft, especially not when you got people who can bribe judges as well and now...now we finally meet again.” There was another laugh that actually caused Liam to shiver a bit, he could barely even focus on being scared anymore, he had so many questions for this man that he almost felt bad for being curious.

“… again?” Was that why he seemed familiar? They had met before?

“I knew you wouldn’t remember me. We used to play together, when we were kids, like 4 years old or something, when your dad wasn’t trying to separate business and private life. He always kept you in the dark, didn’t he? Your whole life? I almost told you, you know… at uni, I saw you in some classes in my first and only semester there, we even had mutual friends, but… then I went to jail and… I kinda decided I’d rather get revenge on your whole family than help you out.” Who was this guy? Why couldn’t Liam remember his name even though it felt like it was on the tip of his tongue? “Actually, I think we still might have a friend in common, your best friend, I suppose. Or probably not anymore after today.”

“What… _Louis?_ ” WHAT?! Louis was… he was… he was this guy’s friend?! Still? Did that mean… did that mean he had something to with this, had he… had he ratted them out? Had Niall been right? Had he asked Liam where they were just to tell this guy?! But… that meant that Louis… that Louis wasn’t on their side and-

“Yeah, Louis. Honestly though… did you really think you and Louis became friends by chance, with no classes in common? You think it was coincidence, that Louis wanted to work in your dad’s business so desperately when it had nothing to do with his major? You think it was coincidence that we found you so easily today? That we knew where to be two nights ago? It was all Louis, he gave us all the information we needed, he was always in the loop, he was sitting right where we needed him to be.” Literally, Liam’s mouth had dropped as he tried to retrace his past, tried to match up the stories, and… unfortunately, they all fit. 

“But he… “ Why would Louis have done that? Had he been threatened? Maybe this guy was twisting it all around and-

“He’s one of us, Liam, he always has been, we’ve known each other since we were 14. Your dad didn’t really care much for younger members so he didn’t know Louis, but after it all broke apart because of your father’s betrayal, Louis decided maybe he wanted to keep hanging around you a bit longer, work underneath your dad until we had a plan figured out, until most of us were released from prison. Lucky Louis he was never that involved or they would have surely arrested him as well, I still don’t know how he managed to see your father almost every single day and not blow his covers. I also can’t believe you haven’t figured any of that out yourself.” He almost sounded stunned, but… maybe it was an act, why would Liam believe anything this guy said? Maybe some of it was true, but not all of it could be, right? Louis would have never done that, never, he wasn’t a drug dealer nor had he ever been… right?

“I don’t believe you.” Liam half spat out, he could feel Niall holding onto him painfully tightly, but he barely even felt it. 

“No? Why don’t you just ask Louis then?” And then Liam’s stomach dropped and he almost felt as if he would pass out, feeling all light headed and… this could not be true, it just couldn’t.

Through one of the open doors leading into the room, Louis walked in as if he had been listening the whole time and had just been waiting for his introduction, it was fucking ridiculous but Liam barely even noticed. His own best friend, his best friend since fucking YEARS had gotten them into this situation, Louis… Louis would ultimately be the one who would be at fault should anything happen to Niall. And no matter what happened, Liam was never going to forgive him for that.

“You fucking asshole. _Fuck_ … “ There were no words that could have described how Liam felt seeing Louis right now, not looking sorry at all but rather as if this was the outcome he had been hoping for, indirectly confirming everything that had just been said about him. This had to be a dream, it had to be.

“You’re calling _me_ an asshole, Liam? You’re literally the one who took Niall and ran off without looking back, you didn’t even try to call me, you would have left me to die without thinking twice.” It was true, but what had Liam been supposed to do? He had felt guilty, up to this very point where the guilt had turned into rage.

“What the fuck?! You’re literally one of them, you fucking ass, you let them all in in the first place and told them where to be, you got my parents killed!” How could Louis be standing there next to this other jerk who was now laughing his head off and defend what he had done? How could he believe that he was in the right here?! “What the hell is any of this to you, Louis? This fucking jerk is your friend, so what?! You’re in a gang since you were 14 and that’s why you gotta fake being somebody’s friend for _seven_ years, somebody who has _nothing_ to do with any of this?!”

“Nothing to do with it?! Everything broke apart because of what _your_ father has done, Zayn was my best friend and he went to jail, because of that bastard!” Zayn! That was his name, it was slowly coming back to Liam, pieces of memories of when he had been a child, but it was too long ago to fully remember all of it, especially because Liam’s dad had made sure Liam never saw Zayn again at a certain age, to keep him out of trouble. Only, it had gotten Liam into deeper trouble than his father had probably ever anticipated. 

“What my dad did was wrong, but what has that got to do with me?! Or with Niall?! Louis, you… you wanna be a _murderer_?! What the hell is wrong with you?” Nothing made sense, none of this was adding up, why would Louis do this? What gain was there for him?! “You want me and Niall dead, is that what you want?! You were like a brother to me ever since uni, I got you a fucking job, I… I don’t agree with what my dad has done, he _killed_ somebody, but how was I supposed to know? Why did you not come talk to me, if you knew what was going on all along?! Why did you pretend you have no clue?”

“Why would I have come talk to you?! I gave you millions of chances to tell me and you never fucking did, on purpose, you knew everybody working for your dad was in danger and you didn’t say a word to anybody! Two nights ago you left everybody behind to save your own ass, and Niall’s, you don’t get to tell me I’m a bad person.” Partly this was true, but then again, Liam’s intentions hadn’t been bad, never, he had tried to protect Louis by not telling him, and two nights ago… he had acted out of instinct, there was no way he could have saved anybody, no bloody way. “If I’m a murderer then so are you.”

“You wanna blame those deaths on me?! The deaths you inflicted by giving out the information and smuggling your friends in? Are you kidding me?!” Zayn was still chuckling, obviously having the best time ever here and Liam was one second from punching that asshole right in his ugly face, right before he’d go for Louis’. He honestly would have, had Niall not been there behind him, clinging to him for dear life. 

“You’re such a hypocrite, Liam. You know what your dad did was wrong, but it never crossed your mind to come forward with it, did it? He built his whole business on stolen money and you still felt good working with him, because all that matters to you is being rich, doesn’t it?! You fucking _paid_ Niall to have sex with you, to accompany you, and now you’re here trying to tell me I’m the sick one for being loyal? After you hid out in a hotel room, leaving your own parents to die?” Louis was almost spitting the words at Liam, he was coming closer now, which the younger man was painfully aware of, he didn’t want to take a step back, didn’t want to seem weak, but he needed to protect Niall as best as possible.

“So that’s why you decided you wanna kill me? Because you apparently don’t like me?” It didn’t make sense, Liam hadn’t even known about any of this until recently, so either Louis was a fucking psychopath, or Zayn was controlling him. “And Niall? Who literally has _nothing_ to do with any of this? You’re sick in the head, Louis, what do you think is gonna happen if we’re dead? What does it matter to either of you?”

Zayn and Louis threw a look at each other and it was the first one who spoke up then, sounding so amused by all of this that Liam had to clench his teeth so he wouldn’t say anything too provocative. “Apart from the fact that you’re annoying as hell, do you really think we would let you live and continue your dad’s fucking business, as if nothing had ever happened? You would have eventually found out who we are, I’m not gonna risk that some rich bastard like you is running around freely, knowing the whole bloody story. And as for your boyfriend here, I’d say he just had tough luck picking the wrong guy.”

“And what then? When we’re all dead? Are you just gonna hide from the police for the rest of your lives? Eventually go back to jail? Sounds like a really smart plan to me.” What else was Liam going to do except for dragging this out as long as possible, he had a really tough time keeping everyone in this room in sight, especially when Louis started to randomly wander off and come back, suddenly playing with a gun he had gotten from one of the other guys. Liam had to do something, he had to make sure they let Niall live, he just had to. “If you kill me, you’ll never get your money back.”

“I’ll get all the money I want, because I doubt you’re gonna deny me anything at all when I’m holding this knife to blondies throat. You can’t talk yourself out of this, Liam, I’ve heard you’re really good at that, but unfortunately… you’ve just been born into the wrong family, you’ve trusted the wrong people and you’ve made one wrong decision after the next ever since two nights ago. I mean, not that we wouldn’t have gotten you at some point anyways if you had stayed at that hotel, but… I don’t know, I thought you would have been smarter than to just leave. When Louis suggested he would just call you and ask you to come to his place… I never would have thought you’d actually leave, how stupid can you be?” Apparently, this was the best story Zayn had ever heard because he was laughing quite hysterically, sending shivers down Liam’s spine.

“Where is Harry?” It just randomly came out of him when he caught Louis’ eye for a moment, suddenly feeling terribly afraid of the answer. Harry had been even less involved than Niall, and fuck… Liam had told the boy he didn’t have to worry, he had calmed him down and... Harry had been left in the dark, as the only one and now… where the hell was he?

“At home.” Was all Louis said, the topic clearly not his favorite one because he was clenching his teeth, looking away from Liam’s face and the brunette was actually pretty sure he was looking at Niall for a moment. 

“And he’s alright with you being a murderer then, and a drug dealer? He likes the fact that you wanna kill me and Niall, or… ?” There was NO way Harry knew what was going on, no bloody way, which was good for him on one hand, but on the other… what would Louis tell him? If Liam and Niall would really… die tonight? 

“Not that it’s any of your business, but he doesn’t know about anything that’s going on. He trusts me.” What a fucking joke.

“Trusts you enough to stay home without a reason and for you to send text messages from his phone? Did you keep him away from the TV as well? And his laptop?” How was Harry not gonna find out about this? Honestly, what was Louis thinking? Did he even love Harry? “You genuinely think he will stay with you? He’s going to find out you lied and-“

“Shut up, Liam! Just shut your fucking mouth for once, alright?! It’s none of your bloody business and frankly, it never will be because you’ll be dead before I even have to tell Harry anything at all! At least I’m keeping him safe by not telling him anything unlike you did Niall! And I know how many times Harry has called you behind my back and you didn’t even bother telling me that, did you? Shows what great of a friend you are, Liam, you were afraid Zayn was threatening me yet you never tried to talk to me? You just waited for it all to pass like a coward!” Louis was coming even closer now and Liam was pretty sure he and Niall would soon hit the door if he stepped back any further. 

“That’s enough now, I’m tired of this pointless chatter, was amusing for a while, but… just get it done. Get me the boy, Lou, I gotta grab something.” Zayn winked at Liam before turning around to do whatever and Liam was ready to kill Louis right now if he only dared to touch Niall in any way. 

“Don’t even try to come near him.” Liam was aware that they had an audience, that he was on his own while Louis had like 5 other people on his side, but he had a feeling Zayn wanted Louis to do this on his own. 

“Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard one, it’s all going to have the same outcome though.” Louis shrugged as he came closer and Liam almost had to force his hand out of Niall just so he could push the blonde back further, until they weren’t even touching anymore. “You can’t protect him.”

“Try me.” There was no way Louis could take on Liam, not when Liam was fucking raging inside and ready to kill somebody with his bare hands, Louis had put the gun away into his back pocket, if Liam could get to it, if he could somehow provoke a fight and then grab it… “C’mon, or are you too scared?”

There was nothing but a laugh coming from Louis and for a brief second, Liam made sure everyone else was all the way across the room and Zayn had turned his back on them before he took that one step forward and just flung his fist into Louis’ face without the hint of a warning.

“LIAM!” Niall was screaming behind him, but Liam barely even heard him, his ears were rushing and he couldn’t even feel it as Louis punched him in the stomach, both of them falling to the floor without seconds, just trying to hurt each other in whatever way possible. “LIAM STOP!”

Liam felt blood dripping down somewhere in his face and his hand that had already been injured was feeling numb now, but he ignored all of that, just tried to hit any part of Louis he could reach, having lost sight of the gun though that had slipped out of his back pocket with a thump. Besides Niall somebody else was yelling something too, but there was also laughter and it only got Liam even angrier, pushing Louis off of him once more as the older man had been trying to hold him down. No way was he going to let Louis win, no bloody way.

After pushing himself to his feet and wiping a hand across his face, only smearing the blood though, Liam briefly made sure Niall was still in safety behind him, that everyone had stayed where they were, watching Louis as he got up as well, tucking the gun back into his pocket, his lip split and blood running from his nose. Good.

“What? Are you two done already? Would’ve thought you’d go a bit harder after all that betrayal, Liam, aren’t you angry?” What was Zayn trying to do, provoke another fight between them? When Louis, his so-called friend, was standing next to him, bleeding? “I would have given you the chance to beat the shit out of Louis before killing you, but we can also get right to it if you prefer.”

“You’re not gonna get away with that.” Liam knew that there was no point in begging, or threatening anybody for that matter, but he had to say something, he had to at least TRY. “Let Niall go, he has nothing to do with this, you can do anything you want to me, I won’t resist, just let him go.”

“Why would we let a witness go? You’re so naïve, Liam, you’re going to give me whatever I want anyways as soon as I have the boy, he’s the key to everything, I’m not gonna let him go and rat us all out.” He had a point and it also made sense, but Liam was looking at Louis now, who was still busy wiping blood from his face, his facial expression unreadable.

“Lou, if you really love Harry, you can’t let Niall die, you just can’t, even if you hate me and wanna hurt me. If you _really_ love Harry, you can’t watch his best friend die and not do anything.” Maybe Liam was starting to sound pathetic now but he couldn’t help it, he didn’t even know if Harry was still alive or not, or if Louis had just been lying, but judging by the way he suddenly looked away from Liam, as if he hadn’t even heard him, the topic got to him at least a little bit. “Louis-“

“That’s enough! Louis, get me the fucking boy or I’ll make sure you’ll never have to think about what to tell Harry.” There had been a clear shift of power and it was only then that Liam realized that Zayn could have made Louis do and say anything if he had Harry, but then again… it wouldn’t have excused Louis working underneath Liam and his dad as a spy all those years. 

Liam had no idea what Zayn was planning on doing, probably get Liam to tell him all the passwords, maybe name him as the CEO of the whole company or some shit, he was a psychopath and very obviously finding joy in watching Louis and Liam beating each other up. There wasn’t much time for Liam to think about what to do because he had to duck from Louis’ fist once more, he had no idea why the older man didn’t just shoot him, in the leg or something, so Liam could still talk, but apparently Louis was keen on handling it this way instead. 

“C’mon, is that all you guys wanna do to each other? Boring.” Zayn was just standing there pitting them against each other while his stupid friends were laughing and only for that, Liam wanted to kill that arrogant ass, even more than he wanted to kill Louis right now. 

Liam’s whole body was hurting from wherever Louis had hit him, but he knew he was stronger, he knew if he just reached around into the older man’s back pocket and grabbed that gun, he and Niall might have a chance at escaping. Zayn seemed to think he had already won, he didn’t seem to even care what happened to Louis, he just seemed to want to have some entertainment before he’d kill Liam and Niall. If he’d get to Niall, they all knew Liam would tell him everything he wanted to know and then in the end, he’d kill them both anyways.

There was a moment where Liam didn’t pay enough attention, his sight having gotten a bit blurry because of the blood and also because his head was hurting like hell, and before Liam knew it, a fist was clogging him right in the jaw and causing him to fall, hitting the ground with a painful thump. All he could think about was Niall, who was still behind him, and Liam knew he had to get to his feet before Louis could get to the blonde, but he wasn’t fast enough. 

“Is that all, Liam? I gotta admit, I’m a bit disappointed, I know Louis isn’t really the strongest or quickest so I thought-“

“Just shut up!” It was Louis, who screamed at Zayn, turning his back on Liam for just a single moment and Liam didn’t know how it all happened so fast, but Niall was next to him more quickly than the brunette managed to get back to his feet, not to help him though but rather to reach into Louis’ back pocket and pull out his gun. 

“Get away from us.” Niall was holding the gun to Louis’ head and Liam had to admit, he had never been more surprised in his entire life.

The room fell silent for a moment and Liam used the chance to get back onto his feet, throwing the quickest look at his boyfriend to see his face still wet with tears and his expression terrified but he was holding the gun steady, finger hovering over the trigger. Liam had thought he would feel relief if they grabbed a hold of that gun, but looking at Zayn’s face, he realized it made no difference.

Louis was frozen just standing there, half-turned away from them and honestly, had Liam been the one who was holding that gun instead of Niall, he might have actually shot Louis seconds ago. Niall’s voice was shaking as he spoke and Liam wished he could have done it for him, could have held him or at least his hand. “I’m gonna shoot him if you don’t let us go.”

“Shoot him then.” Was Zayn’s answer to Niall and Liam would have liked to say he was surprised, but he really wasn’t. He didn’t look at Louis because he didn’t care anymore, whatever was going on between them, for whatever reason Louis was on Zayn’s side, it was his fault they were here now and what he had said to Liam just minutes ago was enough for the brunette to know he would never forgive him. “Go on.”

For a moment, Liam actually thought Niall would do it, actually thought his boyfriend was going to put a bullet in Louis’ head, but then he looked at Niall, saw his hand shaking a bit, already about to lower the gun and the brunette knew he had to step in or they’d be back right where they had been two minutes ago.

What Liam hated the most was Zayn thinking he had already won, thinking they would shoot Louis and then immediately be captured by his friends, who had all gotten to their feet now and doubtlessly all had weapons. So Liam didn’t think twice as he grabbed the gun from Niall, the blonde immediately letting go, and without spending a single thought, Liam pulled the trigger while holding the gun somewhere pointed into Zayn’s direction, grabbing a hold of Niall’s wrist.

Almost immediately, everyone was freaking out and shots were fired, Liam had no idea if he had actually hurt Zayn or anybody else, he was only focused on pulling Niall out of the room with him, through the door they had come in from, momentarily managing to pull it closed behind them. 

“Hey, what the fuck are y-“

There were only two guards outside, the other guys from the cars gone, but Liam shot them both without thinking, pulling Niall down the corridor they had come from, already hearing the door flying open behind them, more yelling and more shots, a sharp pain in his shoulder right before they ran around a corner. Liam knew they had gotten him, but the adrenaline kinda numbed the pain and he knew he’d have to ignore it even as blood was trickling down his arm. They needed to get out of here as quickly as possible.

“Where’s the elevator?!” Liam felt himself panicking, they had been forced to take the wrong turn and now they were somewhere lost in the building, just making sure to take as many turns as possible. 

As this was an old office building or something, there were tons of doors and they were all unlocked, which kinda gave them an advantage, but Liam knew it was only a matter of time before somebody would find them. There was only 2 of them but at least 7 people chasing them, or a bit less depending on whether Liam had actually hurt one of them before. Hopefully Zayn. 

When Liam felt as if they were running in circles, one time finding an elevator that didn’t work, he felt himself panicking, grabbing a tighter hold of the gun and Niall’s hand, their breaths going hard as they stopped for just a second because the noises had gotten more quiet. So either they had gotten away for a moment, or the others had decided to try and trick them by not yelling around anymore.

Liam shook his head when he saw Niall opening his mouth, his eyes having gone wide as he had seen Liam’s hoodie drenched in blood, drops of it silently falling to the floor. They couldn’t be standing here or Liam would leave a trail of blood behind that would eventually make it more than just easy for those assholes to find them.

He pulled Niall along another corridor and through a door, half jogging now but not running anymore, a little bit so they could try and catch their breaths, but also so they wouldn’t make too much noise. The room they were in was connected to another door and, much to Liam’s relief, there were stairs leading up.

Honestly, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to bring even more distance between them and the elevator, but they couldn’t stay on this floor because they were going to be found, Liam was absolutely sure of it. They hurried up the stairs as quietly as possible, only to find themselves on the next floor, looking almost identical to the one downstairs, except for the fact that it was dark, because none of the lights were turned on. Good.

“Li… “ Niall whispered as they half jogged down yet another corridor, the windows barely letting any light in, just like downstairs. 

“It’s okay, baby, we-“

“No, look.” The blonde had stopped them, pointing at a fire alarm button hid behind glass. 

It seemed like the most logical option to break the glass and press it, but one, Liam had no idea if it even still worked seeing as the building was obviously kinda old and no one worked here anymore, and two… “It’s gonna make a hell lot of noise.”

“I know, but… “ The blonde looked terrified, their eyes met for just a moment and Liam knew he actually had no time to think about it and to weigh his options, because… they _had_ no options.

The glass shuttered not quite as loudly as Liam had feared, but as soon as he had hit the button, they both flinched terribly when the whole building was filled with a siren sorta noise, making it impossible for them to even have a normal conversation anymore. If this had been the only fire alarm in the whole building, they were definitely going to be found now.

Liam made sure to immediately pull Niall further, desperately trying to find some more stairs or another elevator, but the one they found again didn’t work. Fuck, if firefighters would really show up, what were they gonna do? They’d probably be shot or not even come up far enough to see anybody, but they had had to try, because there was no way out of here. 

They found a room stuffed with cupboards and pushed over desks and chair, Liam made sure to pull the door closed behind them once more, almost plunging them into complete darkness, the window only letting in very little light. The noise from the fire alarm a little bit more numbed in here. “Maybe we should… try and hide.”

“Where?” Niall’s voice was shaking, his fingers wrapped painfully tight around Liam’s and the brunette didn’t have an answer, he had no idea what they were going to do, he had never thought they’d actually manage to run away, he had genuinely believed they were going to die. “Your arm…”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s just a scratch.” Liam pressed a quick kiss to Niall’s forehead before looking around the room, walking over to the window and looking down, just trying to find any place at all they could go to. “We’re up too high, shit.”

There was just a brick wall, so close to the building that Liam could have possibly touched it had he reached out, the ground was so far away that he couldn’t even see down all the way. There was another door, but it was blocked by some cupboard that had fallen down and Liam was pretty sure that it couldn’t have been opened from the other side. Maybe… maybe they didn’t both have to hide, maybe…

“You should hide, and I’ll go and make sure they won’t get in here, I have no idea if anybody will come here because of the alarm, or if they could help us, but if you hide and I-“

“No, I won’t leave you alone, Liam, I’m not gonna do that. I’d never.” There were tears shimmering in Niall’s eyes, Liam could hardly see them because the lightning was really bad, but he didn’t have the heart to argue with the boy right now, he just wanted this to be over, his arm was starting to hurt really badly now and the blood was drying on his face and he felt absolutely exhausted. “We… we can both hide.”

“Okay… “ It was pretty dark on the whole floor and there were tons of doors and… maybe they wouldn’t find them? Maybe…. but the chances were pretty much zero. No matter what they did, it would end with somebody finding them, Liam had lost all hope already, at least if it came to himself, he’d still try everything possible to keep Niall safe. 

They climbed behind a few desks and there was no way anybody could have seen them if they had just looked into the room, but Liam was 100% sure that the reason why nobody had caught up to them yet was because they were searching every centimeter of this building, and eventually… they’d be coming through that door, it was only a matter of minutes.

“Li… I… I’m sorry… because of your parents and… and Louis… “ Niall spoke up after a minute of silence, they were sitting next to each other, having to duck a little bit, and the way Niall’s voice sounded, Liam was pretty sure that the blonde had also given up inside.

“It’s fine, baby, I… it doesn’t matter anymore.” Nothing did, Liam could barely even think, he hadn’t really allowed any of what had happened today to sink in, he was just sitting there, leaning his head back, holding Niall’s and his intertwined hands in his lap, making sure to never let go of that gun. “I just… can’t believe… “

“I know… “ The blonde half mumbled before leaning his head against Liam’s shoulder, curling more into him and Liam would have closed his eyes had he not known how dumb it would have been to do that. His heart was still bumping like crazy and he felt highly alarmed, knowing that just sitting here was a stupid idea, but then so was running around with nowhere to go. “I think Harry is dead.”

“Why… why do you think that?” To be honest, Liam was thinking the same, but he hadn’t thought Niall needed to know, or that he would actually bring it up just like that. 

“Because of the way Louis was acting when you talked about Harry and… it’s obvious it was him who sent me the text messages from Harry’s phone, about Harry not feeling well and stuff and… I just… I can’t think of a possible scenario where Harry wouldn’t get suspicious, I… “ It was true, it didn’t make any sense at all, but none of this was, the fact alone that Louis had been pretending to be Liam’s friend for so many years and… this was just unreal. “And I… I calmed Harry down, when he said Louis was acting weird, because Louis made you believe he was planning Harry’s birthday and… and all the time Harry was right.”

“There was no way any of us could have known that, babe, it’s… I mean, maybe Harry is fine, you know, maybe… maybe he really is at home and… maybe Zayn got some people watching him, so he doesn’t watch TV and he also threatened Louis he would hurt Harry, so… “ But it could have been an act, just like Louis’ whole friendship.

Niall didn’t answer immediately, Liam was rubbing his thumb along the younger boy’s, clenching his teeth because his arm was hurting so much that he could barely breathe. He knew the bullet hadn’t just briefly touched him, it was inside his flesh and he could feel it with every breath. “Honestly, I… it would probably be better for Harry if he was dead.”

“Why are you saying that?” Shocked for a moment, Liam almost sat up a bit more straight, because… how could Niall say that? It was his best friend.

“Because… if he’s alive, Louis is going to lie to him, about us, about everything that happened. And he will never know what really happened, he’ll be stuck in a relationship with Louis and he can never leave him because… because if he does Zayn is going to kill him because he’s scared Harry possibly knows something. Also… it didn’t seem like Louis and Zayn are good friends.” True, if Harry was indeed alive and Liam and Niall both died then… he’d be in a relationship with a fucking psychopath who had gotten his best friend killed. “I wonder if… if Louis was expecting for Zayn to care so little about him that he’d tell me to actually shoot him.” 

“Probably not… then again, who knows, maybe… maybe that’s how they treat each other in their… gang or whatever, I… I don’t care what happens to Louis, if I had been you and grabbed that gun… I would have probably shot him.” Or maybe not, it was easy to think about what he would have done now because he would never get into that situation again probably, but the rage he felt whenever he thought about Louis… it was almost overwhelming. “You saved us, you know… if you hadn’t done that… we’d probably both be dead by now.”

“We’ll be dead by the end of the day anyways… “ Niall mumbled and Liam was about to disagree, tell him that it would be fine, but who was he kidding, honestly? 

“I’m so sorry, baby… for everything, all of this… I never wanted anything other than to make you happy and to protect you and… I had no idea this was going to turn out like it did, if I had known, I… I’ll never be able to forgive myself for dragging you into this. I… I love you more than anything in the world, but if this could have been avoided by us never meeting then… I wish we’d never met.” It pained Liam to say this, but it was true, if they had never met, both Niall and Harry would be safe, they’d be able to live normal lives and Liam would be the only who would have to pay for what his father had done. The way it should have been.

“Don’t say that. I’d never wish we never met, no matter what. It’s not your fault, you always do everything for me, you didn’t purposely put me in danger and… I never felt the way I feel when I’m with you before, ever. And I wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on that, I didn’t even think it’s possible to love somebody this much, but… your proved me differently and I’m really happy you did.” Liam’s heart was literally aching as Niall lifted his head just to smile at him and honestly, the brunette had no idea how the blonde could be smiling right now and instead of returning it, he just leaned forward to kiss the boy, possibly getting blood on his face too.

It didn’t really feel like a goodbye, but it distracted Liam from his arm, at least momentarily as they deepened the kiss for only a moment, something they hadn’t done ever since all of this had happened. Liam could have gotten lost in this, pushed reality aside, because they had no idea what was going to happen anyways and no way of knowing if they were doing the right thing by sitting here.

When there was some sound from outside though, something besides the fire alarm still going off, Liam immediately pulled back, seeing Niall’s widened eyes as they looked at each other. “Stay down here and don’t make a sound, okay? No matter who it is, they can’t find out you’re in here.”

“Li-“

“Promise me.” Liam waited for the blonde to nod his head after some hesitation before slowly slipping his hand out of the younger boy’s, pecking his lips once more before getting to his feet, resisting the urge to look back at Niall once he was standing in the middle of the room, holding the gun aimed at the door. 

It felt like ages were passing by as Liam just stood there, waiting, trying to calm down his breathing, his hand shaking just a tiny bit. Liam had no idea who and if someone was going to come through this door, all he knew was that when it happened, he wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger, no matter who it was. Maybe 2 minutes passed but it felt more like 15, when the door handle flinched just the tiniest bit, the brunette got himself ready, trying to block out everything else and just focus on this. And then the door opened.

Unlike planned, Liam didn’t pull the trigger immediately, kinda because he probably wasn’t as brave as he had liked to believe, but more because he was so bloody surprised. It was Louis.

“Fuck, don’t shoot me! Don’t. See, I’m… I’m putting my hands up, I-“

“Close the door.” It was loud outside thanks to the fire alarm, but Liam needed Louis in here so it wouldn’t be too noisy when he shot him.

The older man did what he had been told, still holding his hands up, a gun in one of them while Liam was keeping his aimed at the man across the room. Louis’ face wasn’t amused anymore nor did it seem angry, he actually looked quite scared, which gave Liam a boost of confidence. “Li, listen to me, I-“

“Why would I listen to you, are you insane?! Do you think I’m stupid? Just minutes ago you wanted to kill me and Niall, I don’t care what you have to say, you’re lucky I didn’t shoot you two seconds ago.” Thinking about actually pulling the trigger on the person who had been his best friend was getting to Liam a bit more than he would have expected. The thing was, he wanted to believe that Louis was actually on their side, that what he wanted to say was actually something that could help them, but… there was no reason at all to trust him anymore. 

“Where is Niall?” Louis actually sounded concerned and Liam was getting more irritated by the second, trying to talk himself into just shooting Louis before somebody else would find them. “Did you tell him to hide somewhere?! Li, you know they’re searching every single room, right? Where is he? Is he in here?”

“Why would I tell you? Suddenly you’re on our side again, or what?” Was he really thinking Liam would tell him, honestly?! “Put the gun down and slide it over to me, with your foot.”

“Liam-“

“Do what I said!” The brunette couldn’t help but raise his voice, actually thinking he caught Louis rolling his eyes before doing what he had been told and Liam put his foot on the gun to stop it, not picking it up though but rather sliding it somewhere into Niall’s direction. “I can’t believe you did this, Louis, you’re such an asshole, you-“

“Okay, I’m an asshole, whatever, shut up, okay? I gotta tell you something and-“

Before Louis could finish the sentence, the door flung open once more without a warning, again filling the air with the fire alarm still going off and Liam took a step back upon seeing Zayn entering, alone, but his presence was still enough to cause Liam’s blood to turn to ice. And then his fucking creepy smile… “Oh, sorry, I hope I didn’t interrupt something?”

“No… you’re just in time.” Louis half growled, he seemed kinda annoyed but Liam was less focused on him than every one of Zayn’s movements and the gun in his hand. 

“How come you’re always the one who ends up with a gun aimed at their head, Lou? And where is the boy, huh?” He was going to start searching this room, Liam could already feel it, but he would shoot Zayn before letting him do that and risk getting shot himself. Niall could grab a hold of that other gun, he could defend himself now. 

“He’s not in here, I searched the room and Liam was hiding behind that table, he almost shot me.” What?

“As if Liam would ever leave that boy out of his sight… or did you, Payne? I don’t have time for games anymore, the alarm’s been going off for too long, we gotta get rid of them now and hack the computers, shoot him, Lou.” Without another word, Zayn got out another gun while keeping his aimed at Liam, handing it over to Louis. “What’re you waiting for?”

For a moment, Liam almost thought maybe Louis was on his side, because of what he had said before, because he had lied to Zayn, but as their eyes met, Liam suddenly knew that it had yet again been another act. Louis was going to shoot him, and then he would try to kill Niall and it would all be over.

“Do it.” It all happened in probably one second, but it seemed more like a lifetime to Liam, all he knew was that he pulled the trigger while his gun was somewhere aimed at Zayn and then suddenly there was the worst pain he had ever felt in his stomach area, wiping out his every thought as he felt his head hitting the ground painfully hard, stars dancing in front of his eyes. The bullet in his arm was nothing compared to this, it almost felt as if everything was on fire and Liam could actually feel himself slipping from consciousness every few seconds, only hearing pieces of conversation spoken across the room. It felt like he was under water or something, using the little strength he had left to try and press his hand over where the pain was coming from, but it only seemed to make it worse.

Liam had no bloody idea if he had actually hurt anybody or if they were still there or what they were talking about, he could barely even breathe and it felt as if he was not only torn apart but also as if he was suffocating from lack of air. He was going to die, that was it.

After what seemed like ages, Liam finally managed to blink his eyes open again, his sight really blurry and unfocused, but the relief he felt from seeing Niall leaning over him almost helped him to become fully conscious again, even if just for a moment. He wanted to tell Niall to go back into hiding, try and somehow safe himself, but he the younger boy immediately shushed him when Liam had barely even opened his mouth.

“Shhh… d-don’t… don’t say a-anything, okay? It’s all… it’s a-all good, Li… “ He was crying, his hand unevenly brushing over the older man’s hair and Liam was trying his very best here to not pass out, Niall’s voice sounding as if his ears were stuffed with cotton or something. “You… y-you’re going to be f-fine… j-just… please s-stay awake, okay? Li, please don’t c-close your eyes… I k-know it h-hurts, j-just… stay w-with me, okay?”

The fact that Niall had managed to come over to him and sit there and stroke his face gave Liam at least a little bit hope that Zayn and Louis had left, that they hadn’t found Niall and decided to just leave Liam here to bleed out for whatever reason. Liam knew he was going to die, there was no way so much pain could come from nothing, he felt the blood between his fingers and hearing Niall cry like this… even if somebody would come in a few hours to help, Liam knew it’d be too late. 

“Niall… “ It cost all of Liam’s strength to just form one single word, not even sure if the younger boy could hear him or not because his voice was way too quiet and somehow not sounding like him at all. “I love you… “

“I l-love you t-too… don’t t-try to say goodbye n-now, okay? You’re not g-gonna die, Liam, you w-won’t, it’s… it’s half as bad, it’s just… you’ll be fine, they left, they… they t-thought you w-were dead and… “ Which meant they would probably come back at some point, Liam honestly wanted to cry but he couldn’t, all he managed to do was cough, which was a pretty awful idea because he suddenly tasted blood in his mouth. “Oh god, I… Liam… Liam don’t l-leave m-me… p-please… p-please you c-can’t d-die… remember… remember what w-we were talking a-about, in the c-car? About o-our d-dogs and k-kids a-and… y-you still g-gotta… p-propose to m-me a-and… p-please don’t die, L-Li, please… oh god… “

Staying conscious was getting harder with each second passing, but Liam was really trying to hold onto Niall’s voice, his fingers brushing through his hair and across his face, lips placing kisses that the older man could barely focus on because of the pain. He would have wanted nothing more right now than to just close his eyes and let himself drift away, but he couldn’t, he needed to be strong for Niall.

“I… t-this is g-gonna hurt, but… I g-gotta do t-this… okay? I’m so sorry, Li… “ The younger boy had pulled away for a second and Liam wasn’t paying close enough attention to know what Niall was doing, but he was pretty sure the younger boy had just pulled off his hoodie and then… “I gotta… m-make s-sure you’re quiet, o-okay?”

And then, before Liam could prepare himself, Niall’s hand was covering his mouth and the younger boy was pressing his hoodie against Liam’s stomach, almost killing him right then and there. Liam knew that Niall was trying to stop the bleeding as best as possible, but right now, the older man thought the pain was going to actually cause him to pass out.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry, Li… “ Niall kept repeating, the hand that had been covering Liam’s mouth going back to variously caressing his face, allowing Liam to pant, his words becoming a blur at some point though and Liam only managed to keep his eyes open for two seconds at a time by now, slowly getting used to the pain the bullet was causing. Pretty sure that was a really bad sign though rather than a good one. “L-Liam… I love you s-so much… I p-promise… I w-won’t let you die, I… I’m g-gonna… s-somebody is g-going t-to come, we… the a-alarm and… e-everything w-will be fine… I’m h-here, okay? It’s a-all good… I l-love you… d-don’t leave m-me…”

Liam had no idea how long he was fighting between staying fully awake and passing out, how long Niall stayed leaned over him crying and telling him things would be alright, begging him not to leave him, at one point burying his face against Liam’s neck and simply crying against his skin, all the while still pressing his hoodie onto Liam’s wound.

There came a point though, where keeping his eyes open simply seemed too hard. Niall’s voice was fading into the background, no matter how much Liam tried to stay strong for his boy and the very last thing he noticed before everything turned black was somebody other than Niall calling his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize for ths chapter altho i was super stoked about postin it bc i had a lot of fun writing it (except the ending i really got into it and then i cried a little bit)!!
> 
> i really am sorry but i promise you guys the next 2 chapters will make up for it, you all know how my fics usually end :D so sorry for making you suffer but thank you for sticking through it <3
> 
> furthermore, i wanna say this chapter has nothing to do with the real life louis & zayn and i really hope no ones getting upset or anything, its just fictional and i used zayn bc i knew itd be a bigger plottwist than putting in a random person! so i really hope you guys arent upset or so, this fic has nothing to do with my personal opinions about anybody whose name i borrowed!


	19. Chapter 19

All Liam remembered was falling in and out of consciousness for what felt like a whole lifetime. It was like a really bizarre dream full of noises, except everything hurt and he never managed to concentrate on any of the faces leaning over him for more than a few seconds or actually be able to listen to anything that was being said. Liam didn’t know if maybe he had died, if that was what it felt like to be dead, but really, all he cared about was Niall and he couldn’t ask anyone about the boy, couldn’t get his eyes to focus for long enough or his mouth to move.

And then finally, the pain stopped and everything turned dark again and even though Liam was pretty sure he could hear somebody repeatedly saying his name, he felt way too tired and exhausted as to try and pry his eyes open again. There were no dreams, no nothing, which was actually kinda a blessing compared to the piercing pain he had felt before, as if somebody had torn him apart. He couldn’t have survived that, could he?

The pain came back almost the same time as some really annoying beeping that seemed to be way off in the distance, but it still made Liam wanna turn around, pull a pillow over his head to stay asleep. Only, he couldn’t move, actually needed ages to just open his eyes for the split of a second, the weird background noise very slowly turning into actual words.

Liam tried, he really did, to wake up or move, but his whole body was aching and his throat seemed way too dry to form just a single sound. He needed to know if Niall was okay and where he was, maybe he was still there in that building, maybe they were just waiting for him to finally die, had already shot Niall, maybe-

“Mr. Payne?” The voice was unfamiliar, so Liam was desperate to find out the source, moving his arm just the tiniest bit and immediately feeling the pain getting worse, as if fire was burning in his veins. “It’s normal to feel disoriented, take your time.”

The words didn’t really sink in nor did they make a hint of a sense to Liam right now, he managed to keep his eyes open for like two seconds before being forced to shut them again, the bright lights feeling like torture. Maybe they were gonna torture him, who knows what Zayn was capable of, and Louis, they had both had way too much fun with this, there was no way they would let Liam live, no bloody way. 

“Is he o-okay?! You said he’d be fine, he… Li? Li, please… I’m here, everything’s fine, you’ll be okay, I… please wake up. P-Please… “ Liam would have known that voice anywhere, his heart was aching as he heard Niall breaking off into a sob and that could only mean that it was bad, really bad. But he was alright, Niall was still alive and he was here, squeezing Liam’s hand tightly, the only part of his body that didn’t hurt. “Baby… please… “

“He is going to be fine, leave him some time and space.” Space from Niall was the last thing Liam wanted, but he couldn’t have complained anyways, still fighting to keep his eyes open and not fall back into this blackness where he had almost forgotten to be worried about Niall. “Mr. Payne? Do you know where you are and what happened?”

Seemed a bit of a long question to answer when Liam’s throat felt as if it was tied together, he tried to clear it, which only resulted in even more pain, but at least he managed to open his eyes for a bit longer this time, needing a moment to get used to the light before he was staring straight into a stranger’s face, a doctor, very clearly, but wait… a hospital?! But how… how could they have gotten here? No one had come to help them, had they?!

“Nialler…” It only came out in a whisper, Liam didn’t even plan on saying it, not sure if anybody would even hear him.

There was some sound of relief coming from his side though and before Liam could have forced himself to turn his head, Niall had already leaned over him, blocking the sight on the doctor, his hand still squeezing Liam’s and the other one brushing over his cheek, barely touching the skin, as if he was scared of breaking him. The tear tracks on the blonde’s face hadn’t dried yet, his eyes were red shot and his skin blotchy, but he was smiling nevertheless, as if he couldn’t believe his luck. “Shhh, I’m here, you’re okay, Li, everything’s fine, I love you, oh my god… I was so scared I’d lose you, I… I love you so much, Liam.”

Niall pressed his lips against Liam’s forehead, very tentatively though, staying leaned in for quite a while until the doctor spoke up again and Liam was only getting more confused by the second but also… relieved. He had no idea how bad his injuries were, judging by the pain he was missing at least half his body, but he didn’t care in that moment, only cared that Niall was here and seemingly perfectly fine. It almost seemed to be too good to be true, but if it was a dream… it was a pretty darn good one.

“Mr. Payne, you’re in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?” Of course Liam remembered, crystal clear, he could still smell his own blood, still saw Louis’ face right before he had pulled the trigger. “Take your time to remember everything, it’s normal to experience some temporary memory loss, your injuries were quite severe, but you are stable. I just need to do a few small tests.”

Niall seemed to move out of the way more than unwillingly, he kept holding on to Liam’s hand as the doctor walked onto Liam’s other side, shining a light into his eyes and telling him to follow his finger without moving his head. Which, in all honesty, wouldn’t have been possible anyways because just the tiniest movement felt like being torn apart. “He’s in pain, I think… “

“We already gave him something for that, we need to wait for it to fully kick in before we can try something else. The police keeps asking about speaking to you, but I’m going to hold them off for as long as possible, so take your time, there’s absolutely no rush.” The doctor smiled and Liam managed something like a nod, hoping that he wouldn’t again be asked if he remembered anything because just thinking about it seemed way too stressful.

“Thank you… “ Was all Liam brought out and it felt like he was swallowing a blade or something, which was slightly eased by Niall leaning in closer again though, his free hand now stroking up and down Liam’s arm and the brunette would have really liked to turn his head to look at him but it seemed a bit too exhausting. As long as he could feel the younger boy there, and know that he was perfectly fine… Liam could survive anything.

The doctor left after making sure to tell Niall he should feel free to call a nurse if anything at all happened. When he opened the door, Liam could hear voices from outside that sounded quite demanding, but they were immediately stopped once the door was closed once more and Liam quickly decided not to waste his energy on that. He’d talk to the police soon enough, if Niall hadn’t already, for now he was really just wondering how the hell they had gotten so bloody lucky.

“Ni… “ Liam tried again, but he didn’t come much further, again having to cough, which immediately sent Niall into panic mode because he was now almost climbing into the hospital bed with Liam, his hand cupping the older’s cheek, kissing him anywhere he seemed to be able to reach. 

“Shhh… don’t talk, Li, okay? Do you need some water maybe?” Before even waiting for an answer, Niall had already turned away, only to hold a straw to Liam’s lips half a second later. “I know you’re in pain, I… I can’t even imagine… I’m so sorry, Li, I… god, I can’t even believe that… that you’re awake and… and talking to me… “

Swallowing the water wasn’t the most comfortable thing ever, but his throat felt a bit better afterwards and Liam managed to squeeze Niall’s fingers still wrapped around his, turning his head just the tiniest bit to look at the blonde more properly. “’m okay… “

“You’re not, Li, but…. but you will be, okay? The doctor said you will be fine, you just need to take it really slow, but don’t worry, I’m here, it’s going to be fine… I love you so much, Li, I… I thought I would lose you, I really… you were bleeding so much, I… you were out for so long and then the doctor said that… when we first got here and they took you into the OR they… they said they didn’t know if they could safe you and… you were under for so long they thought that… that there could be permanent damages to your memory or… or that…. that you’d… n-never w-wake up a-again… “ Towards the ending, Niall had been fighting for words more and more, Liam could see tears building up in the younger’s eyes and he wanted nothing more than to just hold him, tell him it would be fine, but he couldn’t. So instead he had to watch Niall wipe his own eyes and try to calm himself down. “But you’ll be fine, I know it hurts, you… the bullet in your stomach didn’t hurt any organs and the one in your arm… it won’t leave permanent damage either, I… I can’t believe how much luck we had…. “

“What…. happened?” The brunette finally brought out, feeling confused as hell because he couldn’t have found an explanation even if he tried his hardest. They shouldn’t have survived this, it didn’t seem logical that they had. 

For a moment, Niall looked very unsure, lowering his eyes for a moment before leaning back in to kiss Liam’s cheek, running his fingers through the older’s hair, very gently, his voice quiet and slow, as if he was afraid of upsetting the older man. “Only minutes after… after you passed out, I thought that… that they were coming back, you know, to… to make sure that… that you’re dead and I… I couldn’t have done anything to stop them, but I had your gun and… the other one and I… I almost shot the police officer when they opened the door. And Paddy.”

“Paddy?” How in god’s name had Liam’s bodyguard found them?! 

“Yeah… he was with the police, he immediately notified them after I sent him the text message from your car, but… the reason why they found us was Harry.” Okay, this was getting more complicated by the second, but Liam felt his heart jump a bit faster at the mentioning of Niall’s best friend’s name, looking at the blonde to figure out if Harry was dead or alive. Judging by the tiny smile, he was fine, thank god. “He’s good, Li, he… he’s asleep, actually, on the couch over there, he’s hiding from the police as well because they keep trying to question us and get us to sit down for a statement, he already talked to them, but they keep asking… don’t try to sit up, okay? You’ve got like… a massive bandage on your whole abdomen and… and I don’t want it to start bleeding again like before… “

Liam wasn’t able to see much from the room he was in except from straight ahead and a bit to the side, so it made sense that he hadn’t seen Harry, but the relief he felt from hearing that all the three of them were in the hospital and fine was almost… overwhelming. “Harry… he called the police?”

“Yes… also… everything that happened… Harry knew what was going on for a while already, and you know the text messages we got? He wrote them.” What?

“I… why?” There was nothing Liam desired more than a thorough explanation although he wasn’t really sure if he would be able to process everything because he had to cough yet again, which caused the wound on his stomach to pulsate quite painfully. Niall was holding the straw to his lips not even a second later, his face having gone terribly worried, fingers brushing through Liam’s hair.

“Ummm… Louis was trying to convince Zayn that we didn’t know what was going on with your dad, so he thought it would be best if we didn’t talk to the police, but then you did of course and… it all came out… on TV.” Niall was speaking slowly, carefully, as if he wasn’t sure how Liam was going to react to all of that.

“Louis?” Liam couldn’t help but immediately start feeling irritated, he had purposely been trying to avoid asking about Louis because… fuck, what he had done to them, Liam was never going to forgive him for that, so the fact that Niall was now trying to tell him that Louis had been trying to help them… “He’s lying…”

“I… I don’t think he was, Li. Harry didn’t tell me everything, he only came in an hour or so ago, I thought he was dead until then, I… we only talked for a bit and then he slept in. It’s already night again, you’ve been out for more than a whole day.” The blonde explained, maybe having purposely changed the topic because it seemed quite like it and Liam didn’t have the energy to try and keep asking about Harry and Louis. It was what it was, it’s not like Liam hadn’t been standing in front of Louis hearing everything he had said, besides, who even said that Harry knew the truth? Maybe Louis had been lying to him as well, he had even told Liam that he had. 

“I’m sorry, I… that you… had to go through that and-“

“Li, it’s not your fault, none of it. All you did was protect me and I’d probably be dead if it wasn’t for you, if anything I have to apologize, I said I wanted to leave the hotel and… I was the one who suggested we should hide in that room and… I almost… I almost got you killed, I… I could have grabbed the gun and… but you said I should stay hidden and I… I couldn’t see anything, I-“

“Shhh, it’s okay… ‘s not your fault… you didn’t do anything wrong, babe… you saved us, by grabbing that gun from Louis… and you saved me.” Speaking in full sentences was really hard, but Liam was trying his very best for Niall, attempting something like a smile and he wished he could have reached out for the boy but their fingers were still intertwined and his injured arm hurt like hell whenever he just shifted a centimeter. “I love you so much, Ni… I honestly thought that… that it was over, I… I still can’t believe that we’re here and safe… “

“Me too… I love you so much too, Li, I still can’t wrap my head around that… that you’re awake and talking and stable and… I was so scared… “ There were again tears shimmering in his eyes and Liam was about to tell the boy that everything was fine now, that he didn’t have to worry anymore, that he was sorry, but he closed his mouth then, feeling his own eyes burning a bit. Maybe crying wasn’t so bad right now, it were tears of relief after all and if Liam imagined his and Niall’s positions had been switched… he didn’t even want to imagine how Niall must have been feeling until a few minutes ago. 

Instead, Liam didn’t say anything at all, he just looked at the blonde, squeezing his fingers and Niall luckily took the hint, somehow moving the chair he was sitting in closer to the bed until he could somehow rest his head next to Liam’s, not letting go of his hand though. They stayed quiet for a while, listening to each other’s breathing and the beeping of the monitor measuring Liam’s heart rate, Niall’s thumb drawing patterns on Liam’s skin. 

Liam almost dozed off once or twice, but he forced himself to stay awake, opening his eyes again because he didn’t want to be sucked into this numbness again, maybe wake up somewhere else where all of this had just been a really good dream. So when he realized he would fall asleep if they stayed quiet for any longer, Liam knew he had to make some more conversation, keep himself busy. Also, he longed to hear Niall’s voice again, wanted to ask the blonde so many questions that his throat hurt just thinking about it.

“Did you…. did you talk to the police?” Seeing as it was already the next day, that question was probably more than dumb, but Liam really did wanna know what Niall had told the police, seeing as they were apparently outside waiting until they could question Liam as well.

“Yeah… I… not in detail though, I… that was last night and I… I was crying and… well, the doctors said that I needed some time and that I’m an unreliable witness right now… they also sent in some psychologist because they thought I was in shock and stuff, so… I just told them about Zayn and… and the reason behind all this… “ So nothing specific, Liam didn’t know why, but… he suddenly realized that there was something Niall probably didn’t even know because he had been hiding behind the desk. 

“It was Louis, you know… who shot me.” Sure, Zayn had told Louis to do it, but Niall couldn’t have known who had done it ultimately and judging by how fast he had lifted his head to look at Liam, he had thought it had been Zayn all along. 

“What, I… I thought… I thought Zayn took the gun from him and… “ He trailed off, his eyes having gotten a bit wider before they trailed over to where Harry was possibly sleeping and Liam kinda regretted having said it out of nowhere. “I… I don’t think Harry knows…”

“Did he… did he see Louis? I mean… afterwards?” Right, where even was Louis? And Zayn? And the rest of their gang? 

“No… I don’t think so. I know that… that Louis was here though, maybe still is, in the hospital, I mean. But… they didn’t tell Harry why or what happened and the police isn’t allowing anyone in his room, because… because he’s in custody. They’re waiting for our statements before… before they do anything… they’ve got Zayn as well, I think, I… the doctor just told me that we’re safe and that the police got them, but… I don’t know who that includes.” Right, that didn’t sound good at all because… the way things were right now, Zayn hadn’t killed anyone, hadn’t even attempted to, he had let Louis do all the dirty work, so… would he even be charged for anything bad? If they did indeed have him in custody? “Li… what’re we gonna do? What’re we gonna say? What if… what if Harry is right, what if Louis was trying to help? I mean… what if… what if he shot you because Zayn would have immediately killed you otherwise? I don’t… I don’t wanna defend him, I just… I don’t wanna believe he would do something like this.”

“Me neither, babe… it’s just… what Zayn said was true, it was kinda weird that… that Louis wanted to work under my dad and that… that he just randomly started talking to me in the hallways at uni, I… I don’t know what’s the truth. All I know is that if it weren’t for Louis… “ Then none of this would have happened, or maybe differently, maybe Zayn would have actually spared Liam or at least Niall, but thanks to Louis… he had all the infos. 

“I know… I just… I don’t know what to tell Harry when he wakes up. He told me he talked to the police already and that he told them Louis is innocent but… he doesn’t know what happened in that building, I… I don’t even know where he was the whole time or how he knew where to send the police or… or why he texted us from some random phone… nothing makes sense.” Niall sounded frustrated, he had put his head back down, leaning it just a little bit against Liam’s and the older man let his eyes fall closed once more. 

“We’ll talk to Harry when he wakes up… he said he knew for a while, right? Maybe… maybe he can clear this up… “ Liam didn’t want to allow himself to start hoping, that maybe his best friend hadn’t tried to kill him out of spite, that maybe he hadn’t almost gotten Niall killed as well and actively helped a crazy psychopath to catch them, but then again… Louis had told Liam that Harry had no idea and yet here Harry was, seemingly more informed than all of them. 

“Yeah… I just… I just don’t want Harry to lose Louis, if… if he’s really innocent, if he isn’t then… I hope he goes to jail, for doing that to you, I’ll make sure I’ll the police all sorts of horror stories about him if he really meant all of that and really wanted to kill you, I-“

“Ni, its okay. If he’s guilty he’s going to go to jail and if he isn’t… I just hope Harry can clear it all up and… and prove it somehow because… we don’t know what Louis told him… “ Louis had been lying to Liam for seven years apparently, so surely, he could be lying to his boyfriend for a week. “I wonder if… if my parents are actually dead and… and where they are… “

“I actually asked about them, but nobody gave me and answer… they just treat me like a child around here, because I was so hysterical when they brought you in… “ Niall stopped talking then, for which Liam was actually really glad because… he didn’t even want to imagine how Niall must have felt, keeping his hoodie pressed over Liam’s wound while the older man had almost bled out, being told they didn’t know if Liam would even make it, that maybe he’d suffer severe memory loss, Liam couldn’t even imagine it the other way around. 

They again fell into silence and Liam was pretty sure he did drift off at some point, maybe for hours, maybe just for minutes. He could still feel Niall’s fingers brushing through his hair and down his cheek and his arm, sometimes placing kisses wherever he could reach and when Liam blinked his eyes open again, slowly waking up from his nap, he wasn’t looking into Niall’s face but Harry’s. 

The younger boy was sitting on a chair on Liam’s other side while Niall had stayed where he was, lips still pressed against the brunette’s temple when he realized that he was opening his eyes. “Li… you should sleep a bit more… the doctor was here and they gave you some more pain killers, is it better now? Or does it still hurt a lot?”

“It’s okay… it’s better, I’m fine, baby.“ Liam had to clear his throat a bit, actually noticing the pain having become somewhat dull. Niall seemed pleased with Liam’s answer, he kissed his cheek before sitting up a bit straighter, wrapping his other hand around Liam’s as well. “Hi, Harry… ‘m glad you’re okay.”

“I’m glad you’re okay, too… “ Harry managed something like a smile but it looked very forced and he barely looked Liam in the eyes before already looking down again. Had they already talked? Was it a bad sign that Harry looked like he had just heard the worst news of his entire life? “I think… I think we should talk, if… if you’re up for it, I mean. Niall’s been telling me I need to give you some time and-“

“I just said he’s in pain and tired.” It almost felt unnatural, to hear their banter and Liam would have maybe even smiled had he not been trying to suppress a yawn. 

“’m fine… I promise.” Turning his head a bit to look at Niall was much easier now than it had been before Liam had slept in, so he was grateful for that, even though he was kinda worried about what exactly Harry wanted to talk about and what he was going to say. “Did… did you two already… talk?”

“Ummm… kinda.” Niall had shared a quick glance with Harry before shrugging barely noticeably. “But… not really, I… I thought that, you know… it’s about Louis, so… “

The mentioning of that name very clearly caused everyone in the room to stiffen, even if just the slightest bit in Liam’s case because his body was still aching, probably would still be aching for quite some time. Harry was still looking down, threading his fingers together in his lap and Liam really wondered what was going on in his mind right now, if he really knew what Louis’ intentions had been or if the oldest man had been lying to him as well.

It took Harry some time to speak up, as if he needed to clear his thoughts first, which Liam understood so he left him all the time he needed, pretty distracted by Niall showering him in affection every five seconds anyways. God, once they were out of here, Liam was never going to let this boy go again.

“So, I… Louis told me what was going on, but only like… I don’t know, about two weeks ago, a bit less maybe, I… I didn’t really… question what he was saying even if it sounded really weird, because… well, we all know that he’s been acting weird and… turns out he was really acting weird for a reason…. “ Right, Liam was again feeling guilty for calming Harry down, for thinking Louis was really planning the boy’s birthday, not that it was Liam’s fault because he hadn’t purposely told Harry that everything was fine, he had genuinely believed it. “I… I haven’t seen Louis anymore since yesterday morning, when… when he called you in that hotel you were in, so I don’t know what really happened, but… Liam, I can promise you that Lou wasn’t and would never help Zayn out of his own will, he was really terrified when he told me, he said I couldn’t let it show that I know, he got me a different phone, the one I texted you from and also called the police from, because Zayn was being really paranoid, I… I met him. And also some of his… friends or whatever, they were staying over all day yesterday, at Louis’ flat, while Zayn and Louis were gone and… I had to pretend that I thought they were just friends of Louis and… and pretend I didn’t know what had happened at your dad’s event. Louis told me I needed to call the police, he told me the address of that building you were brought in but he said I needed to wait until you were there because otherwise, they’d just take you somewhere else and… so I excused myself to the bathroom, left my real phone with those guys so they wouldn’t get suspicious and then… I waited for Louis to text me and… I called the police.”

The way Harry said it, everything sounded fairly reasonable and realistic, for a second Liam almost felt like an idiot for ever having thought that Louis was the bad guy, but… obviously, Harry hadn’t been there, he didn’t know what had really happened. But Louis had told him to call the police, so… maybe he had really just made something up yesterday, or maybe he had felt guilty, for planning to kill Liam? “What… what else did he tell you?”

“Well… remember when I called you and told you Louis came home with this weird cut on his cheek? It was Zayn and his guys. Louis didn’t know they were out of jail, they found out where he worked though and they waited for him after work, Louis said that Zayn was really angry, that he said Louis was a traitor, so… so Louis had to pretend to be on his side, that he had done it all for Zayn to get information once he was free again. And from there on he had to stick to that, so he had to meet up with Zayn all the time, figure out a plan, tell Zayn everything he wanted to know, because… Zayn said he’d kill me otherwise, and he’d make Louis watch and… I’m sorry.” Harry did look sorry, and terribly guilty, as if any of this was his fault and Liam was just confused as he tried to put the pieces together. “I’m sorry I had to tell you I was sick, Ni, on Saturday, and I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you what they were planning, I knew what was going to happen and I… I told Louis it didn’t matter what happens to me, that he should somehow save both of you and… he said he’d think of something but that I needed to stay home and pretend I’m clueless and send you both those text messages at a certain time.”

“He did help us though… he told us about the exit, right, Li? It was really weird, but… if we hadn’t known about it… “ Niall sounded very hopeful as he looked at Liam and the older man slowly nodded, as far as that was possible, trying to process all of that information. Was it realistic that Louis had lied to Harry? But he HAD told them about the exit though, he had told Harry to call for help and also, it hadn’t really seemed like Zayn cared as much about Louis as he had been trying to make them believe at first. 

“Yeah, I… I don’t know, Zayn and a few of the guys came home with him that night, so… I had to again pretend and play dumb, so… we couldn’t really talk. Zayn always wanted to make sure that he had both our phones in sight and I just pretended like I didn’t find it weird and I went to bed because… I couldn’t stand looking at him any longer. So when you called, everybody of course saw it and… he made Louis call back in the morning and ask where you were while I was still faking to be asleep and… well, you know the rest of the story… “ There was no way that Zayn had genuinely believed that Harry didn’t know anything, but he had probably trusted that Louis didn’t want to get Harry killed, had even left his bodyguards with the younger boy just in case, but… apparently he hadn’t been thinking about a spare phone. “It uh… it was Louis who shot you, wasn’t it?”

“I… yes, why… how do you know?” Both Liam and Niall were shocked to hear Harry mentioning that almost casually, as if he had known all along. 

“He said that that was what he was most afraid of, that… that Zayn would make him hurt either of you and he’d have to do it because… because Zayn would have hurt you way worse than that, or shot you in the head instead. Zayn knew that Louis was just faking it all, that he had long moved on and I’m sure he also knew that I know, but… he knew how to control us.” Harry shrugged, as if it was obvious and Liam didn’t know what to say, was still way too surprised that everything was suddenly turning out this way, that maybe… maybe Louis had really been on their side all along. “They won’t let me see him, he got hurt as well, he’s in the hospital too… I think that he and Zayn had a fight before the police arrived, but… I don’t know what happened and… as soon as you guys give your statements… they’ll put them both in jail.”

“But… but if Louis is _really_ innocent-“

“He is.” Harry interrupted Niall, suddenly lifting his head, but he didn’t look mad or anything, just desperate. “But it doesn’t matter, because he DID shoot you, he did give Zayn all the infos, to anybody outside it looks like it was Louis who planned all of this, Zayn didn’t even touch or hurt anybody and you can bet your ass that Zayn’s friend will all testify against Louis. And you guys can’t lie either, it’s the police and… what he did WAS wrong, but… he had no choice.”

“But… but Zayn, he… he killed my parents, he did hurt somebody.” It was all Liam could think of in that moment because he felt so incredibly bad for Harry that it almost hurt. He didn’t deserve losing Louis like that, not even knowing if he was right and… but Louis’ words from yesterday were still stuck in Liam’s brain, the look on his friend’s face before he had pulled the trigger and… how would any of them ever know what was the truth?

To Liam’s very surprise, Harry looked very confused, shaking his head slowly to himself. “What? No, he didn’t, is that what he told you? Your parents are alive, Liam, they got away, nobody knows where they are, but Zayn was still trying to track them down yesterday, I overhead him talking to his friends in Louis’ living room, they think they’re somewhere in the Bahamas, their security guards immediately got them out.” 

“I… the _Bahamas_?!” Honestly, Liam didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry, because… his parents were in their fucking holiday house while Liam had almost died?! Not that he could get mad at them for not trying to contact him… he hadn’t contacted them either, but… holy shit, they were alive! “I… I don’t know what to say, I just… why… why would he lie about that?”

“Well… Zayn actually wanted your dad, because… because of the money and… and because he killed his dad, ummm… “ At this point, Harry broke off awkwardly, only for a moment, but it barely even affected Liam, he had already figured out that this particular detail hadn’t been a lie. “But your parents got away and… then of course they went for you because they wanted the money and the passwords and who knows what else. I’m pretty sure he would have tried to find you either ways, but… Louis was hoping that if Zayn didn’t find out that you know about your dad’s past, that he could convince him to let you be, and Niall most of all, but… “

Right, everything had turned out quite a bit differently. No one said anything for a while, Liam didn’t even know if he should have maybe been more excited about his parents being alive, he was, mostly because of his mother, but… his father had still killed someone and stolen money, he was still the reason why they were all even here. 

“I… I need to talk to Louis.” It just came out of Liam without even thinking about it, maybe because he had never really wanted to believe that Louis was a bad person, that he was capable of any of this and… what Harry had just said made sense, finally, a hundred times more than Louis wanting to kill Niall and Liam just because he felt like it. 

“They won’t let you see him and… you can’t even stand up.” Harry did seem kind of surprised though, and so did Niall. Liam wasn’t suddenly 100% convinced that Louis was innocent, but… he couldn’t be purely evil, not after what Harry had told them, so Liam at least wanted to talk to him and find out what was the truth. Or at least listen to what Louis had to say. “Even if you did believe that he’s innocent… it wouldn’t help.”

“Well, if he’s really innocent and was risking his life to save all of us then I’m not gonna watch while he’s locked up. If everything you said is true and if Louis convinces me that he wasn’t plotting my death since 7 years then… I’m gonna tell the police it was Zayn who shot me.” No one had seen it anyways and Zayn’s finger prints were on the gun as well, he had handed it to Louis. Besides, he already had a criminal record, so… “No one saw it but me and it was Zayn’s gun.”

For a moment, both Niall and Harry looked like they wanted to say something and it was the blonde who spoke up then, carefully, his fingers still brushing through Liam’s hair, very slowly though, as if he didn’t even notice what he was doing. “But… maybe Louis already told the police what happened. Maybe he confessed and he’s just still here because he’s hurt or something.”

“Or maybe he’s gonna die… “ Harry said it almost only under his breath and Liam wished there was something he could have said, to make him feel better, but… matter of the fact was, either Louis and Zayn had had a fight, or Liam had… or Liam had in fact shot Louis even though he had been aiming at Zayn and had actually been thinking until now that he had missed them both. 

“He won’t die, I’m sure he’s going to be fine, Harry, I… look, even if he has confessed, it doesn’t matter. If he was forced to do all of this then he’s innocent, and they can’t even proof what he has done, that’s why they’re waiting outside to talk to me and Niall. Louis is still just a suspect and… actually, in that case they couldn’t even keep you from seeing him for longer than 24 hours.” Which had already passed, but Liam didn’t know when Harry had tried to go see Louis. “Also… you know, the doctors really seemed to be on our side, so… I’m sure we could somehow talk to Louis, if… if he’s just a suspect and they have no proof for anything.”

“Would you… would really want to?” Maybe it was wrong, to make Harry hopes like this, but… what was Liam going to do? Send Louis to prison without ever finding out whether he was innocent? It’s not like… like Louis was going to come in here and shoot him instead of talking to him, right?

“If we can make it happen, yes. I mean… Louis is my best friend, since seven years, I… I couldn’t live with myself if he was just trying to protect us the whole time and I’m the one who sent him to jail for it, I… “ Turning his head a bit, Liam met Niall’s eyes, silently asking the boy what he thought about it without actually saying anything and the blonde bit his bottom lip, not looking too convinced yet but also not as if he wanted to stop Liam. Obviously, there was still the fact that Harry hadn’t been there yesterday, he still only knew what Louis had told him, but… Louis HAD been trying to talk to Liam before Zayn had come bursting in, he had lied to Zayn to keep Niall safe and he had been going really easy on Liam when Zayn had pitted them against each other. “I’m really sorry, Harry, I… I can’t even imagine how you’re feeling right now and I’m sorry that… that I can’t just trust your word and-“

“No, no, that’s… I get it, I really do. Imagine how angry I was when Louis finally told me what he has been doing all those nights and what he has kept from me, his whole past, I mean… or when he told me we couldn’t warn you two and we’d just have to let you go to that event and pray for the best, I… honestly, I don’t know what would happen if… if he would really not be charged at all and could just leave, I… the last two weeks have been kinda crazy and… if either of you had died, then… I don’t think that… that me and Louis would still be together.” Oh.

“Haz… “ Niall tried, obviously not knowing what to say either but his friend just shrugged anyways before suddenly getting out of the chair. There was nothing to say, Liam understood, he didn’t even wanna imagine being in Harry’s position right now.

“It’s fine, it’s all over now and you two are alright and… I really gotta use the bathroom.” He smiled, but it seemed rather fake and Liam was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to use the bathroom, but nobody said anything when the youngest boy closed the door, leaving Niall and Liam to themselves.

“Do you really wanna do this, Li?” Niall immediately sounded a whole lot more worried than he had when Harry had been there.

“I think I have to. It all seemed very fishy all along and… I don’t believe Louis would have been capable of doing something like this… do you?” It was a genuine question, just because Niall seemed so unconvinced, he was looking down at their intertwined fingers now, hesitating a bit before answering, almost whispering so Harry wouldn’t hear them through the wall. 

“I didn’t wanna believe it either, but… when I thought you were gonna die for almost a day, I… all I was thinking about was what I could tell the police so that Louis will never ever get out of jail again for taking you away from me… “ He said it like he felt guilty now, but Liam actually felt his heart swelling a bit as he waited for the blonde to look up again, offering a small smile.

“I’m fine, baby, nobody could ever take me away from you. C’mere… “ Actually, Liam had planned on Niall to lie his head back down next to his like before, but instead, the younger boy leaned over him, kissing him on the lips in the most gentle way possible before resting their foreheads together. 

“I love you… more than I could ever tell you.” His breath hit Liam’s face as he talked and the brunette kept his eyes closed, wishing he could have moved his free arm to touch the younger’s cheek or brush his hair. “Whatever happens… you and me will be fine… right?”

“Always, baby boy… I love you too, so fucking much… “ It was probably the most comforting thing ever, to just breathe Niall in, be sure that they were both safe, that things would possibly change but… not between them. They were still Niall and Liam and they were going to be just fine.

 

\-------------------

 

It was a really long night, Harry again slept on the couch and Niall stayed in his chair next to Liam’s bed before finally letting himself be convinced to climb into bed with the brunette, even if it hurt Liam like hell to try and make space for him. He woke up multiple times from pain, not wanting to wake Niall though so he suffered through it, not even able to think about what he was going to do about Louis. 

Of course Niall noticed in the morning when the nurses came in, he turned really pale when they checked Liam’s bandages, the one on his stomach having bled through a little bit, but… other than that they told Liam everything was fine. Paddy also came much to everyone’s surprise, he was really fucking pissed off, yelled at both Liam and Niall, but he had still brought Liam some clothes, which he couldn’t wear of course, but… Niall could. 

Again there were no news about Liam’s parents, Paddy left again after a while, after Liam had thanked him about one hundred times and his bodyguard had finally brought himself to a smile before he had closed the door behind himself. When Liam’s doctor came in for a check up, Liam still hadn’t quite planned whether he was going to ask him if they could see Louis, but it turned out that maybe that wasn’t quite necessary anymore.  
,  
“So… everything seems to be healing quite well, you will have to stay for a while of course because there’s still a risk of infection and we wanna be on the safe side. The police wants to talk to you, both of you, and since you seem to be mentally fit for conversation and questioning… also, I’m sure you want to get it over with, I cannot imagine what you went through.” Liam was about to say something, tell him that maybe he didn’t feel all too mentally fit, but he didn’t have a chance to. “Right also… there’s another patient that was with you and also got injured, I know that the police believed him to be a suspect at first, but he has been released today because there is no proof and they need your statements first. He asked to see you, but you can of course decline if he is the one responsible for-“

“Louis Tomlinson?” Liam immediately interrupted the doctor, having heard Harry sit up on the couch and Niall moving a bit closer towards the brunette. “He can come, he… he’s my best friend.”

“Oh? Well, in that case, I’ll make sure to let him know, he’s actually outside. I’ll make sure to notify the police also, if that is alright with you two?” He was already on his way out and Liam felt his heart starting to bump faster, he wasn’t scared of Louis, he just… he didn’t know what to expect, not at all. 

“Yeah, of… of course. Thank you.” Maybe it was stupid, to believe that Louis was innocent without having talked to him first, Liam still did not know what he was going to say to the police either, but… they had to talk to them at some point, they could have very well let Zayn go as well by now and… Liam didn’t even want to think about it. 

They barely had any time to think about what had just happened, Niall was still sitting on the bed with Liam, but Harry at least got up, his face so excited that Liam already felt guilty again for even questioning Louis’ innocence. He didn’t come in immediately, a minute or so passed and before Louis had even fully stepped inside the room, Harry had almost thrown himself at the oldest man, nothing there anymore from the words he had spoken last night, about how he wasn’t sure what was going to happen between the two of them. Not that Liam didn’t understand, Harry loved Louis after all.

“Hey, hey, woah… careful.” Louis was laughing, but he sounded more than just surprised, had possibly not expected Harry to be here, but he hugged the younger boy back immediately, meeting Liam’s eyes over Harry’s shoulder. 

“Are you okay?! Did you get hurt? What happened, Lou?! They didn’t let me see you and… I was so worried, oh my god… are you okay?” Harry sounded as if he was close to tears, having pulled away just to inspect the bandage on Louis’ arm and the bandaids in his face. He looked rather rough and the smile on his face had immediately disappeared as soon as he had seen Liam. 

“I’m fine, babe, don’t worry about me, I… I’m sorry we’re only seeing each other now… “ The oldest man answered, trying another small smile before kissing Harry on the lips for the briefest moment, his eyes again shifting back to Liam and Niall. “Guys, I… I can’t even tell you how relieved I was when I heard you’re both okay, I’m so sorry for everything that happened and for everything I said, I… I know I can never make it undone or apologize often enough. I would have come sooner but… well, I wasn’t allowed to leave the room because I was still injured and also… the police were questioning me and… I wasn’t sure if you wanted to see me anyways, so… “

“What did you tell them?” Liam wanted to get straight to it, he knew they didn’t have a lot of time and even though he felt super relieved to see Louis being back to his old self again, now very slowly walking over to the bed, it didn’t automatically make him innocent. Niall stayed rather suspicious as well, he stayed as close to Liam as humanly possible and the brunette knew that if anything at all happened, Niall would immediately press the red button next to Liam’s bed. 

“The same things I’m gonna tell you now, except… I didn’t tell them it was me, who… who put you here.” Louis sounded guilty, he never moved his eyes away from Liam’s as he very slowly sat in the chair Harry had been sitting in yesterday and the youngest boy sat on the armrest, almost beaming. If this turned out bad then… Harry would be devastated.

“Why not?” If he was innocent, he could have told them, right? Niall tightened his hand around Liam’s, he was very obviously watching every single one of Louis’ moves.

“Because… if I told them I shot you, they wouldn’t have released me probably. They still suspect I did it, but there’s no proof, but I… I needed to talk to you, both of you, before I confess, I-“

“No! Why would you do that?! Liam said he’s gonna tell the police it was Zayn.” Great, if Liam decided not to trust Louis’ story then Harry would kill him for sure.

“I… I said if it turns out that… that I actually believe Louis’ story.” Liam very carefully explained, the glare Harry threw at him almost making him shiver. If Harry believed so much in Louis’ innocence, he couldn’t be wrong, could he? He couldn’t be THAT blinded by love.

“Well, that’s your decision, Li, I… I’d understand if you don’t, but… just listen to me, okay? I can explain everything, I don’t know how much Harry has told you so far, but… “ He sounded desperate to get it out and Liam nodded just a tiny bit, he was itching to know the truth, see if things matched up with what Harry had said. And if they didn’t… well… “Look, Li, I… everything I said back there, I didn’t mean it. I needed to say something to make you believe that I’m actually on Zayn’s side, you were right, when you said it made no sense that I would want you or Niall dead, I… why would you have come looking for me during the event, you couldn’t have and… I know why you didn’t tell me about your dad, or why you didn’t try to save more people, I’m pretty sure everybody would have acted the same way. You tried to save Niall and… that’s how I intended for this whole thing to go, for you guys to be able to escape through that exit I told you about and… but then everything went wrong. You weren’t supposed to call Harry or the police or anybody, I was trying to calm Zayn down, I was... but the whole time I think he knew I was on your side, he’d always randomly look at Harry and then smile and… he would have killed him, if I had warned you, if I hadn’t asked you about the hotel you were staying in and… if I hadn’t shot you, he would have shot you in the head and then he would have probably found Niall and killed him as well, I… I didn’t intend to hurt you so badly, I was actually… aiming for your leg, but I… I never used a gun before.”

“Okay, but… what about me and you randomly becoming friends? What about you wanting to work for me and my dad? Were you really just being a spy the whole time waiting for Zayn to be free just so you could fuck us all over?” What else was Liam to believe? Like, okay, maybe Louis had changed his mind about all of this when Zayn had started threatening to kill Harry, when Zayn had waited for him after work to have him beaten up, but… that wouldn’t change the fact that their whole friendship had been a lie and that Louis had still planned to at least get Liam’s dad killed. “And what about my dad? I know he killed Zayn’s dad, but he didn’t do anything to _you_ and you knew since seven years what he has done and… if Zayn had killed him and my mum and left me and Niall and Harry alone… what would you have done? Would you still be on his side now?”

“No, Liam, I wouldn’t, I… look, I met Zayn when we were kids, we just got along really well, he was my best friend and… things at home weren’t so great, alright? So I hung around Zayn’s house a lot and since his dad was kinda the boss, I just… I just slipped into this whole thing. I never did anything illegal though, I mean, yes, I did take drugs and… but I never sold them or killed anybody, I just… and then when we came to uni, Zayn saw you sometimes in the hallways and he’d tell me about who you are and who your dad is and then… when everything fell apart because of what your dad has done and Zayn got locked up, I… I did at first befriend you because I knew who you were, it’s true, but it wasn’t because I wanted revenge, Zayn was my best friend and he was gone and… you and him were friends once, I just… you were the closest connection there was, I just wanted a friend, nothing else. And we really got along and we still do years after, how could I have faked that? I wasn’t an idiot, I had already kinda grown out of wanting to be a proper member of Zayn’s gang at that age, which was also why your dad to this day doesn’t know that I even know Zayn.

“I never faked to be your friend, I never planned on backstabbing you or… I never even thought they’d release Zayn or that he would plot revenge or come looking for me, he… he was never like that when we were younger, I thought… I thought I’d never see him again and I’d keep that secret about your dad and everything would just stay how it was. You ARE my best friend, Liam, and you have been since years, I never planned for any of this to happen I really wanted to work for your dad, because… hell, even if he stole that money, which they got illegally of course, he built something great, and I really like my job. If I had been so angry at your dad and actually been waiting for Zayn to be released for seven years, do you really think I could have just worked underneath you and your dad and never ever said a word or tried something myself? If I really was that angry the whole time? I didn’t even like Zayn’s dad, we barely ever spoke, I wasn’t a spy or… it was never like that, I moved on from my past when Zayn was put in jail, of course I was sad, but… I didn’t wanna kill anybody for it or hurt anyone or backstab you and your family. But then… when he was released, he… he found me after work, had his asshole friends beat me up and… he was angry, because he knew we were friends, he knew I worked for you and your dad, he said I’m a traitor and he’d kill me and you and… I had to say something, I had to make up a story. And I don’t know if he ever believed me or not, but… he realized it’d be better to keep me alive. You saw the way he spoke to me back there, Li, how he told Niall to kill me because he didn’t care if I lived or died, our friendship is long in the past.” The way Louis spoke, Liam didn’t know how he could have faked it, he sounded genuine and… it did make sense, a whole lot more than the other story were Louis was evil, but…

“Why didn’t you… why did you never tell me? About any of this, before Zayn was released? Or even after? You could have told me he was threatening you, you knew Harry was worried and that he called me to ask about you, you could have… you could have told me.” His dad had hired like a hundred security guards, surely he would have agreed to keep Louis and Harry safe as well. 

“Li, what would you have done if I randomly told you that your dad killed somebody? I didn’t even know if it was true or what had happened, I wasn’t there, Zayn’s dad might as well have provoked a fight back then. I didn’t even know if you really knew what was going on when I told you about how I’m just planning Harry’s birthday. I was trying to get you to tell me, but… you didn’t, and I understand why. That’s also why I didn’t tell you about any of this, I knew you would have tried to help me and Harry and… Zayn would have known, he would have known I warned you and… he would have found a way to hurt us anyways. Look, I thought my plan was well thought through, I thought you and Niall would just go hiding like you did and your dad would escape because he had so many security guards. He did by the way, and your mum, if Harry didn’t tell you already, your parents are fine, they’re still hiding out somewhere though, Zayn lied to you because he’s an asshole. He made me start a fist fight with you because he wanted me to proof I really am on his side, that’s also why he made me shoot you. I genuinely thought I had killed you back there and… I somehow convinced Zayn that Niall wasn’t in here, because I knew he was and… I thought I really killed you and then… I just… I didn’t care anymore what else happened, so I… I started yelling at Zayn and we had a fight and… he stabbed me in the shoulder, but I still had his gun and… I killed him, I had to or… or he would have killed me.” Wait…

“What?! He’s dead, you… you _killed_ him?! Why… why has no one told us, why… did you know, Harry?” Judging by his face, he hadn’t, he was staring at Louis with a dropped jaw just like Niall and Liam and… what the hell?!

“Yeah, I did. I knew I had to because he would have killed me otherwise and he would have never stopped, but… I thought I killed you, Liam, I honestly did not care anymore, I knew Zayn’s guys were probably immediately gonna come for me and I thought… well good, at least then they’ll stop looking for Niall. But… it never came to that, the police came because Harry called them, and Paddy and… well, you know the rest of the story. I’m so sorry, I… I almost got both of you killed, I know I can never make up for it, Li, I know you’ll probably never trust me again, I just needed to tell you the truth, whether you believe me or not is your choice and whatever you tell the police, I just… I’m glad you’re all okay, that’s all I wanted, so.” Louis shrugged, as if that was really it, as if he didn’t believe Liam could ever think that he was innocent.

They all fell into a really awkward silence, Liam was still trying to match up the pieces, figure out if there was anything he had missed, anything at all, but… it all made sense now, finally. If he imagined himself to have been in Louis’ position, he would have acted the same way, he would have done everything possible to protect Niall, even… even if that would have meant letting his friends run straight into a trap. It’s not like Louis had just abandoned them though, he had told them about the exit, he had had an actual plan, it wasn’t his fault that it had gone wrong. So how could Liam have still held a grudge against him, Niall was alive and his parents were as well, everyone would be just fine.

Also, even though Louis had befriended Liam because he had known who he was… if he really had had held so much grudge against Liam’s dad and Liam himself… there was just no way he could have pretended for seven years, right? Hoping for Zayn to be released? And it was true, Liam’s dad really had had no idea who Louis was, meaning he hadn’t been that involved and judging by how Zayn and Louis had acted around each other and the fact that Louis had shot Zayn… they couldn’t have been that great of friends anymore either. There was absolutely no reason for Louis to have actually tried to backstab Liam and… it wouldn’t have matched with whatever Harry had said either, so…

Sharing a look with Niall, who had visibly relaxed, Liam kinda communicated with him without having to use any words before turning back to Louis, feeling relief spreading through him when he spoke up. “When the police comes in in a bit… I’m gonna tell them it was Zayn, and that you are innocent and were just trying to help us.”

“Li, you really don’t have to d-“

“Do what? Tell the truth? You didn’t do anything Louis, I mean… you did miss my leg by quite a bit, but… “ It was a joke, to lighten the mood a bit, and Liam knew that laughing would have really hurt his stomach so he tried to smile and Louis rolled his eyes, letting out a short laugh. “I don’t know what will happen if you confess to shooting me, even if Zayn forced you and… nobody saw besides us, Zayn is dead and… his fingerprints are all over the gun, no one will ever know. And even if I said that I didn’t wanna press charges, I don’t think it’s up to me. So… I’ll them it was him and… it’ll be fine.”

“I… I would hug you right now, if-“

“Don’t, he’s hurt.” Niall almost immediately panicked even though Louis had not even moved, he just seemed more than surprised by what Liam had just said, and so did Harry, but he was grinning so big that Liam somehow knew he had made the right decision. 

“I won’t, Niall, don’t worry, I… I’ll never hurt him again, I promise.” It sounded like a genuine apology and Niall took a moment, looking at Louis, before he nodded, stretching his free arm out over Liam and the older man was surprised but he did shake Niall’s hand briefly. “I really am sorry.”

“If you hadn’t done it… we wouldn’t be here.” Niall shrugged before making himself more comfortable again in Liam’s bed, half lying down next to the brunette, leaning down to kiss him despite the other two being right there and for the first time in what felt like forever, Liam was hopeful again that things were going to be alright.

 

\-----------------------

 

“Are you okay? Can I let you go for a second?” Niall had been overly protective when Liam had been in the hospital for the last few days, but it had gotten even worse when they had left today to go back home. Finally.

“Baby, I’m fine, I can walk on my own.” It still hurt of course, and Liam still had bandages all over, he had been allowed to at least sit up again after two days at the hospital, but walking was a whole other level. Niall was being extra careful though, his hands always somewhere on the older man, trying to support him as best as possible. 

“Okay, I’ll just quickly take my shoes off.” Being home felt like the biggest relief ever, probably also to Niall because he had spent every single night at the hospital with Liam, they had brought a second bed in for him after three nights, but he had still ended up in Liam’s anyways. Liam had tried just once to get the blonde to go sleep at home or go to uni, but he had quickly let it drop when Niall had told him he wouldn’t even think about it and that Liam should have just imagined had their positions been switched. He would have never left Niall either and having the blonde there with him the whole time had really helped him. 

Despite Niall’s protest, Liam took off his own shoes, without bending down though because the doctor had told him that he needed to take it easy. Still, it wasn’t like he needed Niall to do all these things for him, but the blonde didn’t allow him to protest so just because Liam really enjoyed his boyfriend being so protective and caring, he let him. Anything to make him happy after everything that had happened.

“You should lie down, you’ve been standing around for way too long, and the car ride too…. C’mon.” Actually, Liam didn’t feel too sore, but he just smiled fondly at the blonde, allowing him to wrap his arm back around him, ever so carefully, before leading him over to Liam’s bedroom, even fluffing the pillow for him because that was how much Niall cared. “Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat, or… or I can get you your laptop, or a book, or-“

“I’m fine for now, love, thank you though… just come lie down with me, okay?” Sure they had been lying in the same bed for days now, but they were finally home again and it was just different and more comfortable and… finally just the two of them again.

Niall didn’t complain, he almost immediately snuggled up with Liam on the bed, on his good side where his arm wasn’t hurting, putting his head carefully on the older man’s shoulder and Liam let his eyes fall closed for a moment, the pain in his stomach slowly easing. It was a hundred times better than it had been when he had first woken up and though it had seemed impossible that he would ever be okay again… Liam slowly gained back hope. Especially considering how everything had turned out.

Liam and Niall had talked to the police shortly after Louis had explained everything to them and the oldest man had been questioned again a few days later, but he had been released without any consequences, they had all stuck to the story that Zayn had shot Liam and then of course, Louis had only shot Zayn because the other man had attacked him. Louis and Harry had stayed at Louis’ place for the last few days and Liam and Niall hadn’t seen them anymore since then, they were texting and stuff, but it was good to just… be alone for a while, move on from what had happened, try to forget.

“Are you gonna go to uni tomorrow?” The brunette asked quietly after a while, rubbing his hand up and down Niall’s shoulder and arm, feeling himself drifting awfully close to falling asleep. It’d be nice to finally sleep in his own bed again, with enough space for both of them to lie comfortably.

“No, my uni wrote me an email saying I can take as much time as I need, they think I’m psychologically damaged and in shock. I mean, I can miss two weeks and a bit more without it having any consequences, I never skip any classes and I get good grades, so… I won’t leave you alone, Li.” Somehow Liam had known what the answer was going to be and the relief he felt made him feel kinda guilty but not really. He needed Niall, especially after everything that had happened, not only because the blonde was so good at taking care of him, but also because he wanted to know Niall was right here with him in safety at all times. 

“Thank you… “ Was all Liam said instead of trying to talk Niall into going back to uni, because he didn’t even want him to, he wanted Niall to stay here for as long as possible.

“Don’t, Li, I wouldn’t even think of leaving you alone. You always take care of me and now it’s my turn.” He was so sweet, it made Liam smile with closed eyes as the younger boy cuddled in closer, as if to tell him that he wasn’t planning on getting up anytime soon. “Have you… have you already decided what you’re gonna do? Because of work I mean?”

“I don’t know yet, I… I still have to call my dad back and… we still gotta talk it all out.” This wasn’t Liam’s favorite topic at all, he knew he had a lot of decisions to make and things to do, but… he actually didn’t wanna deal with any of that right now. “I think that… that he wants to shut it all down and… I don’t know what will happen.”

Liam’s parents had come back from their vacation house where they had been hiding a few days ago, they had visited Liam in hospital, which hadn’t been the best idea, because… it had very quickly turned out that Liam’s mother had also had no idea about the fact that her husband had killed somebody. Liam had actually told the police about it, as had probably the gang members that had been questioned, but the police had said there was nothing they could do, it was too long in the past and there was no proof and they weren’t gonna get the file back up just to try and solve some fights within a gang. 

So naturally, Liam’s dad was pissed at Liam and probably the whole world even though he was the one who had caused all of this and Liam’s mother wanted a divorce.

“I don’t think you should talk to him… he didn’t even wanna admit what he has done, he didn’t even apologize to you just once at the hospital and he will never confess now that Zayn is dead and everyone’s locked up and there is no threat anymore. You wanna know what I think you should do?” The blonde sounded very excited about that, he actually lifted his head off of Liam’s shoulder and the older man blinked his eyes open to look at him, Niall’s finger brushing down his cheek and jaw, tracing his lips.

“Hm?” Liam made, tightening his arm around his boyfriend as he took in his face, again wishing he could have reached out for him but his other arm was still kinda sore and it hurt to hold it up for too long.

“I think you should just leave and build your own business. I mean, the money you made isn’t stolen or anything and you invented those apps and you’ve done the modeling jobs and… you could do it all on your own. Just let your dad do whatever he wants because he won’t listen anyways.” The blonde sounded very excited about it and Liam couldn’t help but return his smile, the fact that Niall believed in him like this, trying to encourage him, really warmed his heart. “You’d be way more successful without him anyways.”

“How’d you know?” Liam asked, still grinning when Niall leaned in to kiss him on the lips, lingering a little bit longer and the brunette tried not to think about for how long they couldn’t properly have sex.

“I just do. Because you’re you and you’re amazing and you can do anything.” Niall smiled again as he pulled back before putting his head back down on Liam’s shoulder, not leaving the older man a chance to reply. “Also… I was thinking about something else too.”

“And what is that? Did you already rent out an office for me?” Chuckling a bit, Liam was relieved that it didn’t cause him too much pain even though it stung the tiniest bit.

“Not yet, but it’s on my list.” Niall joked, but then he took a breath and when he continued, he sounded a lot more serious, absently playing with Liam’s shirt. “But no, I just… I’ve been thinking the past few days and… when I thought I’d lost you forever, I… I don’t know what would have happened and I don’t even wanna imagine it, but… it really showed me just how much I need you and how much I love you and… I mean, I’ve known before, but… being put in that situation and I… I don’t think I’ll ever want anybody else than you and just thinking about how hard it would be to go back to sleeping in my dorm at least once or twice a week, I… I was thinking that I… that I’d like to move in with you, if… if the offer is still up.”

“I… of course it is still up, baby, I would love you to… are you sure?” Okay, this was not at all what Liam had been expecting, of course he was happy, he had wanted Niall to move in with him for months now, but… “You don’t have to decide immediately, you can just stay for as long as you want and I’ll pay for your dorm if you don’t wanna give it up and-“

“No, I really want to, Li, I’ve had enough time to think about it the last few days and this is what I want. I want you, always.” As if to proof his point, Niall lifted his head once more, kissing Liam before the brunette could fully take in his face. “I love you, Li, so, so much and I wanna be with you, fully. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but… for now I know that this is what I want, if… if you want it too.”

“Of course I do, baby, I… you’re making me the happiest I’ve ever been, every single day, and I couldn’t imagine anything better than having you move in with me and always having you around. I love you too, more than anything in the world, and I can never thank you enough for just… being you and being so wonderful and sweet and caring. So, if you really want to, then hell… we can go get your stuff right now.” It was a joke, of course, Liam let out a breathless laugh and Niall’s face was turning brighter than the sun as he kissed Liam again, a bit deeper this time, and the brunette felt actual tears burning in his eyes. From happiness this time though.

“Maybe tomorrow...” The blonde mumbled against Liam’s lips and the brunette made a sound of agreement as he relaxed his jaw underneath Niall’s tongue begging for entrance, his heart filled with so much happiness that he could have exploded. Everything would be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and finally the big reveal!
> 
> hope you all liked the chapter and are happy with how it ended (kind of)! please please let me know what you think i was super excited because no one had guessed if louis was evil or not! also i hope it is all logically explained and that i didnt miss anything bc i knew how itd end all along of course, so if theres anything that still seems weird, please do let me know!
> 
> also, the last chapter is going to be an epilogue, most likely a few years in the future so i hope youre all excited for that as well, thank you all so much for reading this fic since almost 20 weeks now, thats a whole lot! <3


	20. Epilogue

Niall woke up way too early, the alarm hadn’t even been going off yet and he was pretty damn sure he had only been imaging the faint cries of a baby, but he was up and about to get out of bed when the arm around his waist tightened, pulling him back against a warm chest and making him smile sleepily. 

“Stay… “ Liam mumbled somewhere into Niall’s neck from behind, his hand wrapping around one of the blonde’s wrists and the younger man pressed back against his husband, still kinda worried about what he imagined had woken him up. “They’re asleep, baby… we should be too… “

“I heard-“

“No… you didn’t… I’ve been awake for an hour already…” Though the brunette sounded more than just tired and as if he had just woken up, Niall believed him immediately, allowing his eyes to drop closed again, snuggling back against Liam. There was no way he’d be able to go back to sleep, but dozing a little bit sounded more than just amazing right now. 

“Hmmm… how late’s it…?” Niall asked after a few minutes, feeling Liam’s thumb rubbing the inner side of Niall’s wrist and had the blonde not been so tired, he might have actually turned around to snuggle deeper into his husband’s arms.

“Like… seven, I guess… “ So they had an hour left before they’d have to go and wake the kids, Niall felt pretty pleased with that. It happened more frequently now that they actually were able to sleep through a whole night even though Niall could still barely believe it, he was never going to catch up on all that sleep he had lost, but… it’s not like he hadn’t known or actually minded. It was just stressful sometimes. “Go back to sleep, baby… “

“Hm, no… I don’t wanna waste my time when I can just lie here with you… “ They had had an early night last night, the kids had fallen asleep surprisingly fast and Liam and Niall had tried to watch a movie in bed, but they had gotten way too distracted with each other and well… seeing as they didn’t always have as much time as they wanted, they had used the chance. “You know… you could just not go to work today and… and I don’t go either and then we just stay here in bed all day long… “

“I have to go though… there’s a meeting today… “ Niall didn’t have to look at Liam to know that he was grinning, he was just teasing the blonde.

“You never _have_ to go, Li… it all works perfectly fine without you… “ Liam was the CEO after all, of course he worked hard, but if he ever needed a day off, he could have it and they both knew it. “The golf course works fine without me as well… maybe neither of us should ever leave the house again.”

“I think we’d get terribly bored though at some point, also… people might think something happened to us.” Liam chuckled, he was now moving behind Niall, propping himself up on his elbow until he could kiss the blonde’s naked shoulder and the younger man sighed before turning onto his back, blinking up at the brunette before letting his eyes fall closed again when he felt Liam’s fingers brushing down his cheek. Right, now Niall wanted to get up even less. “It’s already Friday, love, and then we got the whole week off from tomorrow on.” 

“I know… ‘m just tired.” Niall kissed back lazily when he felt Liam’s lips brushing his, automatically moving a hand to hold onto the older man’s biceps, feeling distracted for just a second when his fingers brushed the scar. Five years in the past and Niall could still remember it all like it had been yesterday, sometimes he’d still wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares and though Liam was always right there and quick to calm him down, the younger man knew he’d never fully forget. How could he, when for almost a whole day, he had been thinking he had lost Liam forever? The love of his life? Just imaging what would have happened if he had died that day five years ago, it automatically made Niall hold on tighter to Liam.

“Then sleep, Nialler… we still got time.” Liam whispered against the younger man’s lips, at the same time moving on top of the blonde though, slipping his tongue into Niall’s mouth, all hot and wet and tempting and there was no way they were going back to sleep now. 

Niall wrapped his arms around his husband’s neck as he spread his legs a bit, so Liam could comfortably slot in between them, his weight pressing the blonde down into the mattress as they snogged, way more heated than they usually would at this hour of the day. But usually they also didn’t really wake before the alarm went off, so…

“Liam… “ Though it had only been about two minutes, Niall could already feel himself growing desperate and hard, his cock rubbing against Liam’s with every single movement the older man made on top of him, rutting their hips together, slowly and lazily, as if he didn’t really intend for this to go anywhere anytime soon. 

“Hm?” Was all the brunette made, momentarily moving his lips from Niall’s to the younger’s cheek, then his jaw and down his neck, his beard scraping against the sensitive skin, his mouth leaving a wet trail that made the blonde shiver.

Instead of asking again, Liam very slowly reaching behind himself, unwrapping Niall’s arms from around his neck and before the blonde even knew it, they were being held above his head, both of his wrists in Liam’s tight grip, not allowing him to move freely. “Li… are you sure that… that this is a good idea?”

“Pretty sure, yeah… “ The brunette breathed against Niall’s neck before biting down, softly, forcing the younger man to suppress a moan as he pressed his eyes shut again, trying to move his arms just so he could feel how tight Liam’s grip around him was. Good. “Unless you want me to stop…”

“No… “ Niall didn’t need to think about it, he knew that their door wasn’t locked because it never was at night, but… what were the chances of their older daughter to come into their room now, at 7 in the morning? 

Even though maybe it was slightly risky, Niall quickly locked every doubt into the back of his head, enjoying how Liam was manhandling him, sucking a bruise onto his neck that surely somebody was going to see, but… the blonde didn’t care right now, he wanted Liam to do anything to him he pleased, didn’t care who knew about it.

Liam took his time, sucking another bruise when he seemed to be pleased with the first one, all the while holding Niall’s arms above his head until his wrists were starting to ache a little bit, and just in time, as if he knew, Liam released the blonde, his lips trailing down the younger’s chest instead. Neither of them had put on clothes last night and the blanket had already half fallen on the floor, so Liam had full access to Niall’s naked body and the blonde couldn’t have been more pleased with that.

He tried his hardest to be as quiet as possible when Liam kissed and sucked at his skin, tongue darting out when he reached the blonde’s nipples before going even deeper, Niall’s fingers somehow automatically curling into the brunette hair as Liam went lower, his back arching a bit as the older man was holding down his hips. 

They had learned to know each other inside out over the past five years, they knew how to get each other off fast and how to tease, and Niall had never really thought that it could be true, that being together for so long still meant things were getting better with each day passing, but… they were. Every morning waking up and looking at Liam, kissing him, Niall fell in love all over again with this man, each time a little bit deeper than the morning before. He was still trying to figure out how he had had so much luck, but whenever he brought it up to Liam, kinda jokingly though, the brunette just always smiled and told the blonde he was asking himself the exact same question the other way around. 

After Liam had made sure to make Niall giggle and try to push his head down softly after taking too much time with his belly button, Niall’s laughs quickly turned into sighs and then moans as Liam’s mouth finally arrived where the blonde had longed for it to be. “You’re so fuckin’ gorgeous, baby… honestly… so beautiful, I can’t believe you’re all mine… “

“Are you… talkin’ to my- _fuck_.“ Before Niall could finish that joke, his breath already going fairly hard, the older man had quickly shut him up by wrapping a fist around the blonde’s half hard erection, jerking him off painfully slow, one arm wrapping around Niall’s hips in order to keep him from thrusting up. “Li… “

“Shhh…. ‘m gonna take care of you, love… “ Liam whispered, his breath brushing over the tip of Niall’s erection and the blonde bit his bottom lip in anticipation, his fingers curling tighter into Liam’s hair, wanting to push his head down but at the same time wanting the brunette to be in charge. Also, he wanted to please him, because after all these years, there were just some things that hadn’t changed, possibly never would. “Be good for me, baby… “

When they had talked about adopting their first daughter, Niall had kinda stopped calling Liam daddy in bed for a while, had taken it back up, had stopped again and now… he barely ever did it, only when they were really into it, when the kids were fast asleep. It’s just…. nothing else about their sex kinks had changed and Niall still liked Liam holding him down and being in charge, praising him and sometimes even being rough, the blonde felt just a tiny bit weird hearing his kids calling Liam the same name he called him in bed. So that was one thing that had changed, which didn’t at all mean that they were having any less fun, because knowing each other this well… they were having a way better time than they had ever had years ago. Which really meant something.

“Mmmh… Li…. _please_ … “ Niall couldn’t help the begging, he just never could, he felt Liam’s breath hitting his sensitive skin again as he chuckled before rewarding the blonde by enveloping the tip of his erection into his hot mouth, immediately causing a curse to leave Niall’s mouth that he would have rather held back.

Liam was still jerking the blonde off, making the glide easier with his own spit mixed with Niall’s precum, slowly spreading it along his aching hard on while tonguing around the crown, pressing into the slit and the younger boy already thought he was getting close. They had just been doing it a few hours ago, twice actually, but having Liam’s fucking perfect mouth and hand on him always pushed Niall to the edge way closer than he would have liked.

He was rock hard already, wanting to beg Liam to go faster, take him in further, but he held back, wanting to drag this out, his skin feeling as if it was on fire, heat coiling in his belly every time Liam flicked his wrist and he did that thing with his tongue. “Fuck…. _aaah_ … L-Liam… “

When Liam’s hand slipped lower, instead cupping the younger’s balls, tongue licking along his whole length before taking him fully into his mouth, Niall let out a moan he was sure their neighbors would have had heard if they had had any living nearby. Liam immediately pulled off, still keeping his hands on Niall though as he kissed his thigh, half whispering against his skin. “Shhh, baby, you have to be quiet, okay? Can you do that? For me?” 

Niall didn’t answer, just tried to catch his breath, feeling blood in his mouth when Liam took him back into his mouth until Niall’s length hit the back of his throat, Liam’s fingers still cradling his balls as he bobbed his head, slowly, his arm pressing the blonde down into the mattress, so firmly that it almost hurt. “L-Li… s-stop…. w-want you… _please_ … “

Liam didn’t pull back immediately, just slowing down a bit so he wouldn’t push Niall over the edge just yet and the blonde groaned in frustration, one hand having a tight grip of the brunette’s hair, the other one bunched in the sheets. When the older man sat back up, the blonde almost wanted to protest even though he had been begging for it, tears building up in his eyes as Liam manhandled him again, spreading his legs a bit further as Niall let his fingers slide from his hair. “You want it, baby?”

“Y-Yes… please… “ His voice was only half a whisper, Niall blinked his eyes open for a moment so he could watch Liam jerking himself off a few times before lining himself up with Niall’s hole. He was still stretched and lubed up from a few hours ago, but Liam didn’t push in immediately, just slowly letting the head work Niall open as he leaned back down across the blonde, both of them panting. 

“I love you so much, baby… so, so much… “ The older’s tongue slipped into Niall’s mouth that had already been slightly opened to let his moans escape, their kiss deep and hot and desperate as Liam pushed himself deeper inside the blonde.

Niall’s arms wrapped tightly around Liam’s neck, his legs locked around the back of the older’s thighs once the brunette was buried to the brim, only barely moving to give Niall some time to adjust while they were still snogging, tongues sliding wetly against one another, the air in the room only filled with their heavy breathing.

It didn’t take long until Liam had built up a steady rhythm, feeling so hot and perfect inside of Niall that the blonde could barely manage to hold back after only a few thrusts, clinging to the brunette for his dear life. They were forced to break the kiss, Liam’s spit slicked lips smearing down the younger’s neck, breathing heavily against the bruise he had left there as he pushed himself in and out of the boy, harder with every thrust, until he was piercing his prostate every single time. 

“L-Li… L-Liam… g-gonna… “ Niall tried to warn the brunette, his fingernails scraping over the brunette’s skin as he tried to hold Liam closer, not having to beg before Liam’s hand already wrapped around Niall’s length trapped between their bodies, jerking him off unevenly in time with his thrusts.

“Go on… come for me, baby… _fuck_ … you feel so good… so good… “ Liam breathed against Niall’s skin and it was all the blonde needed to finally be able to let go, coming all over Liam’s hand and their bodies, moaning the older man’s name as Liam fucked him threw it, chasing his own orgasm as he rolled his hips against Niall’s with a grunt, again and again until he was pumping the blonde full with his cum. 

They were both breathing hard as they were coming down from it, Liam let himself collapse on top of the blonde, his weight pressing him tightly into the mattress and Niall loosely kept his arms wrapped around his husband, trying to catch his breath. Niall’s head felt really dizzy now and he was starting to feel sleepy, kinda exhausted as well, and even less willing to ever leave this bed again. 

“We… used to last a lot longer… “ Liam finally mumbled against Niall’s neck and the blonde felt himself letting out a breathless laugh, hugging the brunette a bit tighter, letting his fingers brush through the older’s sweaty hair. 

“Maybe we just got better… “ Niall whispered back, still keeping his eyes closed, feeling kinda filthy and exhausted, his limbs burning a little bit, but he wouldn’t have wanted to trade this for anything in the world. “I love you, Li… “ 

“I love you too, Nialler… “ Though Niall had heard these words countless times out of Liam’s mouth, they still caused his heart to bump faster and his stomach to grow warm as he pressed his face into the older man’s hair, breathing him in, trying to somehow make the moment last longer. “’m afraid we still gotta get up though… have a shower… “

“Yeah… “ Niall knew they did, they had woken up early but the alarm would be going off soon and they definitely couldn’t wake the kids up like this, or leave the house, and knowing each other, they wouldn’t be able to shower quickly if they went in together. “In five minutes… “

Liam agreed with another grunt before slowly lifting his head, waiting for Niall to blink his eyes open for a moment just to smile at him before pressing their lips back together, more softly now, all sweet and gentle, the way that got Niall’s skin burning and butterflies erupting in his stomach. God, he was so fucking lucky. 

 

\--------------------

 

In the end, they were only a little bit late, like five minutes or so, which was good, they had once managed to oversleep a whole hour and thing was… it didn’t actually have any consequences. Liam was the CEO of his own business and Niall, well… he owned the golf course that Liam had bought him as a gift for finishing uni, something which the blonde had tried to refuse for a whole week but eventually had given in to, of course. There was nothing he had ever wanted more than becoming a professional player and he definitely had had the time the past few years to really train, also teaching on the side, and maybe he wasn’t really a professional yet, but he had won a tournament or two, smaller ones.

The only one who got problems for coming late to kindergarten was their older daughter, but ever since Liam had had a talk alone with the teacher, it suddenly wasn’t a problem anymore whenever they wanted to take her out for a few days to go on holiday. Niall wasn’t quite sure if he agreed with however Liam had managed that, he was pretty sure it had involved a lot of sweet talking and then his looks had probably not been hurting either. 

“I’ll get Lily and then I’ll make breakfast, alright? Coffee or tea?” Liam kissed Niall’s lips in the hallway, holding onto his wrist for a moment and cocking an eyebrow as he waited for an answer. He was so gorgeous, it shouldn’t have been allowed.

“Umm… surprise me.” Niall decided, grinning when Liam rolled his eyes, smiling fondly though as he slowly let go of the blonde and they walked into opposite directions. The girls didn’t have their rooms next to each other because Niall and Liam had collectively decided that it was hard enough to have one baby waking up at night crying, there was no need for a toddler to be woken as well.

They had adopted their first daughter at age two, she was now four, and though they hadn’t really planned on adopting another baby so soon, they hadn’t been able to say no when the agency had called them about a baby girl about ten months ago. How could they have ever said no, they had wanted more kids anyways and… it all had just clicked somehow and worked out as if it had always been meant to be this way. 

Niall felt his tiredness washing away a little bit as he very gently opened the door of his older daughter’s room, waiting in the doorframe for a second as he watched her sleeping soundly in her bed, surrounded by probably a hundred stuffed animals and their family dog Watson sleeping on the floor. He couldn’t quite fit in her bed because he was massive, but he had always slept next to her from the moment she had gotten here, so Liam and Niall didn’t have the heart to make him sleep in his dog bed again after two years. 

“Good boy, Watson...” Niall half whispered tto the dog as the animal lifted its head to watch him trying not to step on any toys on his way to the window, feeling really bad as he pulled the curtains back and plunged the room into light, the little girl in the bed immediately turning onto her other side. “Good morning, pumpkin.“

There was nothing but a very tired and quiet “No” coming out from underneath the covers as Niall carefully sat on the edge of the mattress, petting Watson on the head while trying to sneak a hand underneath the covers to tickle his daughter. She was always pretty tough to wake up, had been even after the first she had spent here, whereas the younger one was the complete opposite. 

“Daddy is making breakfast, are you not hungry?” Niall tried to coax her into at least turning onto her back but she refused, even as he attempted to gently move her before giving in with a sigh, instead leaning over her to press a kiss against her warm cheek. “Did you have a good night, baby?”

“I’m tired… “ The little girl whined and Niall made a mental note to never again allow his daughter to stay up for ‘one more minute’ that had eventually turned into 20. “I don’t wanna go to school… “

“Why not, love? It’s gonna be so much fun, and hey… remember where we’re gonna go today after school?” Stroking her hair, Niall stopped when he felt his daughter moving, turning onto her back to sleepily look up at him before rubbing her eyes with her knuckles, letting out a yawn. 

“No… “ She was probably too tired for that, the blonde knew that she would have fallen back asleep the second he had stopped talking, so instead, he very gently grabbed a hold of her even despite the protest until he could lift her in his lap. The only way to get her to wake up fully was to make her sit up, even if it made her squirm in his arms.

“We’re gonna go on holiday for a whole week, with uncle Louis and uncle Harry and Josie, remember? You were so excited last night.” Actually, she had been excited ever since they had told her a month ago and Niall had kinda regretted it because it had definitely led to a few sleepless nights. Louis’ and Harry’s girl was only a few months older, so they got along brilliantly, they were basically attached by the hip, asking for sleep overs every single weekend, which usually ended with them both coming into Niall’s and Liam’s bed after nightmares and waking the baby on their way there. 

“Is Watson gonna come?” She had also asked that question a few hundred times, Niall held her a bit tighter, letting her cuddle up against him, half lying down in his lap but he didn’t have the heart to make her sit properly. 

“No, baby, he doesn’t like long car rides, but he’ll have a lot of fun with grandma, okay?” Kissing the top of her head, Niall held his daughter tighter as he got up with her, her arms and legs immediately wrapping around him, head dropping on his shoulder. “Don’t fall back asleep, Maddie.”

“’m not… “ The girl mumbled somewhere into Niall’s shirt and the man just rubbed her back as he sighed, Watson following close behind as he made his way out of the room. “Papa?”

“Yes, bug?” Niall could already smell the coffee from downstairs and he felt his stomach twisting a bit, he was craving food since last night, but they hadn’t really made it out of bed anymore.

“I had a nightmare… “ She whispered against the man’s clothes and Niall felt himself freezing up a bit, rubbing Maddie’s back and soothing her hair as he walked down the stairs.

“Do you wanna tell me what happened, baby?” Usually she came into their bed whenever she had nightmares and she’d mostly cling to Niall all night long and then the next day if there wasn’t any school. Lily was the opposite, whenever she cried and couldn’t be calmed down, it was usually Liam who could make her stop and comfort her, which… wasn’t really very practical because it was Niall who usually brought their younger daughter to work with him. 

“No…. I can’t remember… but I was scared and… and I wanted you and Daddy but Watson was there and he made me feel better.” Hearing this made Niall feel guilty though he knew there was nothing he could have done, maybe he was a bit relieved that his daughter hadn’t come into their bed last night, but of course he would have preferred that over having her scared and being alone. 

“You can always come into mine and Daddy’s bed, okay? Even if Watson is there, he… he can come too, if you’re too scared on your own.” The bed wasn’t big enough for all the four of them, but Niall would have been willing to at least try. “Are you still scared, bug?”

“No… now you’re here.” Maddie leaned back a bit as Niall turned his head to kiss her cheek, brushing her hair out of her face as he looked at her.

“I’ll always protect you, sweetheart. I love you so much.” More than he had ever thought would be possible, he hadn’t thought he could love anybody the way he loved Liam before he had met his husband years ago, and then he hadn’t thought he’d ever feel anything equally as strong but in a different way for anybody else. And yet here he was.

“Love you too, Papa.” She made a kissy face and Niall laughed before shortly pecking her on the mouth just as he walked into the kitchen, seeing Liam’s back as the older man was busy making toast, holding their younger daughter on his hip. Niall’s heart could have melted each and every time he saw Liam with their children. “Daddy!”

Liam immediately turned around upon hearing Maddie, a smile plastered across his face when the blonde let their daughter down so she could run across the room towards Liam, the brunette easily picking her up as well, now holding two giggling children at once, kissing the older one on the forehead. “Good morning, princess. How’d you sleep?”

“Good, I only woke up once. Watson tried to get into my bed again, he almost squished me.” She giggled even more at that and Liam grinned, making brief eye contact with the blonde as Niall walked over to the fridge with a smile, getting some milk and orange juice so they could have breakfast a bit sooner. They’d have to leave in like 45 minutes and the girls weren’t even dressed yet even if Liam had somehow already managed to change Lily’s diapers. 

“Well, that’s not good, I’m gonna have to have a serious word with him then.” The brunette playfully cocked an eyebrow at Watson, who was just drinking from his water bowl and Niall had to take a bigger step so he wouldn’t get his feet wet. “Are you excited about spending the whole week with Josie?”

“Yes! We already made a plan about all the toys we wanna bring…. how many toys can I bring, daddy? Can I bring all my teddies?” Both Niall and Liam had to laugh at that, the blonde briefly pecked Liam’s mouth before taking Lily out of his arms when the baby was making grabby hands at him, pressing his cheek against her chubby one.

“I don’t know about all of them, love… you may have to leave some at home, okay?” Liam brought his attention back to the food while Maddie tried to tell him that she didn’t even have that many teddies anyways and that they would be really sad if she left one of them at home. 

“Good thing you don’t wanna bring any toys yet, hm?” Niall whispered against his baby’s cheeks while she was pulling on his shirt, cooing a bit and giggling when the blonde blew raspberries against her skin. 

“Da-Da.” It had been her first word as well and since they had had no idea who she had been addressing as they had both been leaned over her, they had been equally as thrilled and still were whenever they heard it. She was only slightly over a year old, she did already walk, but she could only say very few words, so it was always very exciting whenever she attempted to speak. 

Seeing their children grow up this happy was the best feeling in the whole world, their family was so much more than Niall could have ever even wished for. Of course he had always wanted a family, had imagined what it’d be like, but he had never thought it’d be like this, so… caring and safe and just… perfect the way it was.

Of course Liam and Niall had had disagreements over the years, but it had only brought them closer together and there was nothing the blonde felt more sure of than that Liam loved him just as much as Niall loved him, and both their children and their dog, and nothing would ever change that. It was like… like it had always been meant to be and there was absolutely nothing in this world that could have made Niall happier than spending his entire life married to this man, watching their children grow up together.

 

\-------------------

 

“When are we gonna be there?” Maddie asked for probably the twelfth time and Liam had to suppress a sigh, but he smiled slightly when he briefly looked over to meet Niall’s eyes, squeezing the younger man’s hand that Niall was holding in his lap. 

“Soon, baby girl. You wanna try and take another nap, huh?” There was no way she’d wake up Lily if she kept talking, but she had been kinda cranky ever since she had woken up before after having already slept for good half the car ride.

“No, I’m not tired.” The little girl in the backseat immediately made sure to let them know and Niall leaned back to hand her her water bottle, having to twist a bit weirdly because he refused to let go of Liam’s hand. “Can I go swim in the lake when we get there?”

“If it’s not too cold, okay? There’s also a lot of other fun things we can do there though, right? I also heard uncle Louis and Harry are bringing some marshmallows and we can make a fire, okay?” If not then they had had packed enough themselves, Niall had done most of the packing, but Liam had tried to at least help by buying the groceries they were bringing. 

The blonde was the best person Liam had ever and would ever meet, after everything that they had been through and all those years together, his love for the younger boy was only growing stronger each day, something which he had never thought would be possible before meeting Niall. They had gotten married a year after all the things had happened with Liam’s dad and Louis and Zayn, maybe a bit soon, but… they had both been so sure about what they wanted and Liam had always known it had right decision.

They had two beautiful and healthy little girls, a dog a tiny bit bigger than Niall had wanted, a pretty amazing house and jobs that they both enjoyed, but most importantly, they had each other. And they were so in love and so happy that Liam would have probably been disgusted had he not been in this marriage and family. 

Niall tried to keep Maddie distracted for the next few minutes, telling her all the things they could do and how much fun it was going to be, handing her back some sweets to bribe her a bit even though they usually tried not to do that, but she was well behaved anyways, had been pretty much from the day that they had first met her. Liam remembered it so clearly, how shy she had been but yet curious, warming up to them so quickly, so smart already even though she had only been two years old back then. 

After the blonde had talked Maddie into trying to at least close her eyes, she was out like a light only ten minutes, hand still halfway wrapped around her water bottle and the other one around her stuffed horse, making Liam smile when he threw a look into the back seat as he stopped the car at a red light. “Li?”

“Yes, babe?” They were whispering as to not wake up the kids even though they both seemed exhausted anyways.

“How much longer do we actually have?” The blonde asked, carefully and not at all as if he was joking, still making Liam chuckle though. He was so cute. 

“About an hour or so. Maybe you wanna take a nap as well?” It was kind of a joke but then again not really, Niall had had a hard time getting up this morning and he had driven Maddie to school and Liam to work before going to work himself, with Lily, and then afterwards, he had picked the other two back up so they could drive right to their destination. Of course they had packed the car together last night, but still. 

“No… I guess I’ll have enough time to sleep when I make Louis and Harry babysit.” Laughing quietly, Niall did make himself more comfortable in the passenger seat, bringing their intertwined hands up to his lips so he could kiss the back of Liam’s. “And you can join me if you want.”

“Sounds like a really good idea, love… I can’t believe we get to sleep in for a whole week now… or you know, at least try.” They definitely wouldn’t be getting up at 8 in the morning, although having Maddie and Louis and Harry’s girl together would possibly lead to them keeping each other awake and then waking up early in the morning, but… hey, there were two additional adults who could deal with that. “I feel really bad about leaving Watson with my mum though… he would have really liked swimming in the lake.”

“Li, he doesn’t know we’re going to a lake, you know.” The younger man was teasing him fondly, but Liam couldn’t help but still feel guilty. Niall was the one who had first brought up that he wanted a dog, but it had been Liam who had fallen in love with Watson, having had to convince the blonde for a little bit to commit to such a big dog. “We can facetime him.”

“I doubt my mum remembers how to use facetime… “ Liam had shown her countless times for whenever Maddie had had sleepovers at her grandma’s house, but she always tended to forget. Not that it had been really necessary anyways, Maddie had only slept over twice, the first time she had already been so tired she had just slept in from exhaustion, and the second time, she had been crying so much for Niall and Liam that they had picked her back up at one in the morning. “You know who would have easily remembered? My dad.”

“Hmmm… probably.” Niall’s answer came with some hesitation, probably because he was just as surprised as Liam because of the sudden switch of topic. Actually, the brunette hadn’t even planned to say anything related to his dad, it had just slipped out. “Have you… called him for his birthday a week ago? I was going to ask, but… “

“No, I didn’t, I… I actually wanted to, but… I just had nothing to say, you know?” Liam’s parents had gotten a divorce after everything that had gone down, Liam’s dad had pretty much retired and given up the business when Liam had left to build up his own, so now they barely ever talked to each other anymore. He had never even met one of their children, had ignored the invitation to the wedding and they had spoken 4 times on the phone in the last five years.

“I know, Li… ‘s fine though, you don’t have to try to be nice just for the sake of it, I know he’s your dad, but… doesn’t excuse anything.” Liam saw Niall shrugging from the corner of his eyes, they had had this conversation countless times, also because the blonde barely talked to anybody in his own family, but his parents had at least seen the girls a few times, had come to their wedding even. “You don’t need him.”

“I know… don’t need anyone but you, Nialler, and those two munchkins back there. And my poor puppy.” The last part Liam of course added as a joke to break the tension a bit and Niall sighed, making the brunette grin. 

“One day he’s gonna be as big as a cow if he keeps growing, you know.” Probably not, their dog was already fully grown but Niall liked to joke about it and Liam liked to pretend that it was a sensitive subject. 

“He’s not even that big, Ni, he still fits into the trunk.” Barely, but it somehow worked, Niall threw a look at Liam when the older man turned his head for a second, not able to stop himself from letting out a laugh as he saw his husband’s facial expression. “C’mon, you love him.”

“I do, I still wish he was smaller though. Or that he would at least _know_ how big he his.” That only made Liam laugh more but he tried to be quiet so he wouldn’t wake the girls, thinking back to all the times when Watson had tried to squeeze himself on Niall’s lap. Or into their bed. 

“One day I’ll get you a Chihuahua or something, so you can have the lap dog you always wanted.” Niall only sighed at that offer and Liam grinned to himself, knowing well enough that Niall wasn’t really mad at him or annoyed, or that he would have genuinely wished they had a different dog. “Or a hamster or something.”

“No hamsters, please, Maddie has been asking me for one again last week when we were at the store. It doesn’t help that Louis and Harry bought their daughter a whole zoo.” It was true, they had two cats, a bunny and apparently, now they also had a hamster. 

“Do you want me to fire Louis so he can’t afford any more?” Liam offered jokingly and this time, Niall actually tried to pull his hand out of the older man’s, but the brunette held on, chuckling as he pulled Niall’s hand to his mouth so he could kiss his knuckles in apology. “Sorry, love, I was just kidding. No hamsters and no Chihuahuas, okay? I promise.”

“Thank you so much, bean.” It sounded only slightly sarcastic, but the blonde had said Liam’s nickname that he only used very rarely and it never failed to make the older man’s stomach grow warmer and his heart to jump a little bit faster. “Are they actually already there?”

“Harry and Lou? I think so, Louis’ already been taking the last few days off as well, so I don’t know when they left, but probably sooner than us.” Their daughters didn’t go to the same school, which they absolutely hated, but Liam kinda thought it was a good thing, because if they were together every single day, they surely wouldn’t have tried to make other friends as well. 

“It’s gonna be kinda weird to be together for a whole week, I mean… we’ve never had all of us together in the same house for this long.” True, Niall and Liam had taken Maddie on a ton of trips already, and their younger daughter on a few as well, but it had always only been them, they had never actually gone on holiday with Harry and Louis before even though they hung out at each other’s houses all the time, but that was still different. 

“Are you not excited?” Liam wasn’t sure how to interpret Niall’s words, he was slightly worried for a second as the blonde didn’t answer immediately, probably only because he had been taking a sip out of his water bottle, only having had one hand to open and close it.

“No, I am or I wouldn’t have agreed, I was just thinking. Reminds me when we were younger though and you’d take me on weekend trips on yachts and Harry always tried to pretend he wasn’t jealous. I bet he almost pissed himself when you asked them to come.” Had the kids been awake, Niall would have probably not talked like that, but Liam kinda liked it, how they were still kinda the same people they had been when they had met, more grown up of course, more responsible, but still just Niall and Liam. “Wait… if they’re already there they can’t even go inside, or did you give them a key?”

“Oh… no, I didn’t.” Right, Liam hadn’t been thinking about this, he owned the lake house and there was only one key, which he had in his pocket right now. “I don’t think I even told Louis the code for the gate.”

“Li!” Though Niall pretended to sound shocked, he was actually just chuckling, obviously very much amused and Liam’s guilt kinda disappeared when he heard the younger man’s laugh. 

“He didn’t ask me and I just forgot. They’ll survive.” Liam quickly decided, trying to at least regret it a little bit, but then again, Louis could have just asked Liam when they would be there, right? “We only got one hour left anyways, ‘m sure they’ll forgive us.”

“They still won’t get the big bedroom though, okay?” It was a really big house with five bedrooms, but there was one that was furthest away from the others which Niall and Liam usually used and the brunette knew it wasn’t really the size of the others that caused Niall to panic. 

“Don’t worry, baby, I’m gonna get you naked tonight either way.” Winking at the blonde because they were stuck in traffic and driving painfully fast anyways, Liam felt himself getting more excited to finally get there and for it to be night and judging by Niall’s face… they were on the same page here. Of course this was sort of a family holiday, but… they needed to make use of the fact that they basically had two babysitters with them for a whole week, right?

 

\----------------

 

“Uncle Lou-eeeh! Uncle Hareeh!” Liam wasn’t fast enough to tell his daughter to be careful when she had already hopped out of the car and was running over to the second car. They were already through the gate and had driven up to the house, so there wasn’t any real danger except for some stones maybe, but… he would have still rather seen her walking. 

“There’s one of my favorite nieces!” Louis immediately picked her up, making her laugh and scream and Liam tried his very hardest not to tell him not to drop her. He would have never done that, but Liam still worried every single time. 

Niall was getting Lily out of the car, who was still asleep and didn’t at all seem bothered by all the noise, which probably meant that she was going to be awake half the night. Waiting for his husband so he could put an arm around his waist, Liam didn’t bother to lock the car as they walked over to their friends, leaving the bags for now because they weren’t exactly in any rush.

“Hey, guys. Sorry you had to wait, I forgot to tell you I have the only key.” Liam half heartedly apologized before smiling at Josie when she came over to him, immediately reaching out for him with a very excited “Uncle Liam!” so the brunette man easily picked her up. “Hi, bug. Wow, look at your pig tails! They’re really pretty.”

“Daddy did them for me.” She announced proudly, with no doubt meaning Harry because he was somehow really good with hair, had even tried to teach Liam how to do a braid but he still failed dramatically every time Maddie asked him to do her hair. 

“Don’t pull on them though or they’ll come loose, okay, love?” Harry gave Liam a quick hello-kinda smile before immediately going over to Niall, who was holding the sleeping baby and the blonde threw Liam a very quick and knowing look. Louis and Harry had adopted their daughter when she had already been three, so they had never really had a baby before, but judging by the way Harry looked at Lily, they were definitely gonna have one at some point. “I can hold her for you, if you want.”

“Sure… “ Niall immediately handed their sleeping daughter over, very carefully as to not wake her. 

“That’s the real reason why we came, you know, so Harry can hold your baby a whole week long.” Louis joked, slowly letting Maddie down now and she immediately came running over to Liam, jumping up and down a bit until he put the little girl in his arms down as well, watching them hugging and squealing with a smile. 

“Daddy, daddy, can I show Josie our room?!” They were already holding hands and looking like they were about to run off, so Liam quickly fumbled the key out of his pockets before nodding slowly.

“But stay in the house while we’re unpacking, okay? And don’t go down to the lake without asking first.” There was another gate in between, but it got both Niall and Liam kinda panicked whenever they came here, to think that their 4 year old might suddenly forget that she wasn’t allowed down there on her own. 

“Okay!” Both of them ran off even though the door was still locked and the adults followed slowly behind, Niall slipping his hand into Liam’s while they walked, Harry falling behind a bit because he was busy cooing over the sleeping baby.

“I can’t believe you own this, Payno, this is crazy. I know you showed us pictures, but… wow.” Louis seemed really stunned as they walked up to the house, looking around the nature and down to the lake and it reminded Liam of when he had taken Niall here for the very first time years ago. “Do you actually own part of the lake as well?”

“No, but we have one of the two only access points, so… “ Basically, nobody else was ever here except for on the other side, which was actually pretty damn amazing and Liam hoped he wasn’t sounding as if he took it for granted, he was just a bit used to it already. 

“Just wait until you see the inside of the house and the view from the living room and the first floor.” Niall sounded very proud actually, which made Liam smile, he squeezed the blonde’s hand, saw the sparkle in his eyes from excitement as they looked at each other. No matter how many times they came here or pretty much went anywhere else for holiday, Niall never grew less excited and it was the absolute cutest thing. 

As soon as Liam had unlocked the front door, the two little girls had run inside and upstairs out of sight, probably about to push the two beds together that Maddie had in the room she usually slept in and Liam knew one of them would have to go and help in a bit, but for now, he was just happy that the kids were so excited about having sleep overs for a whole week. 

“Holy shit… “ Louis breathed as he walked inside after Niall and Liam, his eyes going even wider than they had been outside.

“Shhh, watch your language, babe… “ Harry sounded pretty distracted and not at all impressed, only having eyes for Lily. Seemed like Niall wouldn’t have to ask them to be babysitters after all.

“It’s bigger than your own house, which really says something.” The oldest man ignored what Harry had said, just walking around the entrance hall and living room and Liam felt a tiny bit as if he and Niall were about to try and sell this place to him. “How do you survive leaving to go back home?”

“The next city is really far away and when the weather is bad there’s nothing much to do.” Niall answered truthfully even though Louis had obviously not been listening because he was busy exploring the whole house now and the blonde rolled his eyes a bit, making Liam chuckle as he pressed his lips to his husband’s forehead. 

They gave Louis a very quick house tour before starting to bring in the bags, without Harry’s help because he was still busy with the baby, Liam made sure to give Niall the lighter stuff even though the younger boy complained for about half a minute before complying easily. It’s not that he was weak or anything, Liam just knew that Niall usually did most of the housework and he was alone with kids more often, so whenever possible the brunette man tried to make it up to him. Even if of course, Niall had never complained or gotten upset, he always said it was only fair since Liam made most of the money. This was where their opinions usually differed.

When they were somewhat done unpacking, Liam went to help the girls pushing their beds together even though he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. Not that he could have said no even if he had wanted to, they both looked like little angels and Maddie had both their fathers wrapped around her little finger anyways. Niall especially, she was really fixated on him whenever she was sick or not feeling well and Liam knew it was because when she had first come home with them, it had been the blonde who had taken a few weeks off of work and training to be with her. Of course Liam had also taken time off, but he understood that the kids just spent more time with the blonde in general and furthermore, when he himself was sick or not feeling well, he wanted nobody else but Niall either.

It wasn’t at all like they preferred Niall in general though, Liam had also spent countless days alone with them when Niall had gone out with some mates after work, only after the brunette had basically talked him into it. He got it though, he wasn’t really one who wanted to go out so much either, he’d much rather go home and be with his family, but he also wanted Niall to have a break sometimes. The first time Liam had taken a day off of work to spend it with the girls, he had made sure to send Niall updates via text message, especially when he had gotten them ready for bed and though the blonde had claimed he had never at all been worried about Liam not doing just fine, he had obviously still appreciated them. [(x)](http://68.media.tumblr.com/b7b8504a09a64179146c8808ac7288bd/tumblr_inline_on31r3FOSn1rggmxj_500.jpg) [(x)](http://68.media.tumblr.com/d1440700edd0fc6d0f683a798347449f/tumblr_inline_on334stskl1rggmxj_500.jpg)

“Can’t believe you never invited us here before.” Louis still had not stopped being impressed by the house even after they had been here for a whole two hours and had already unpacked almost all their things.

“I’d say I was sorry, but… “ Liam laughed when his friend threw a quick glare at him before turning his head back to look over the water again. They were standing on the balcony, Harry and Niall were inside, playing with kids. “I’m glad you came though, we should have gone on holiday together sooner.”

“Yeah, we really should have. Although, I don’t know if you’ll be saying the same after the week is over.” Louis was referring to the fact that the girls had already knocked over two things while playing, nothing important, but Niall had made sure to scold them just a little bit anyways. “Or if you’ll ever get your baby back, I don’t think Harry is ever going to put her back down.”

“Maybe you’ll just have to get your own.” They had already been talking about it, Liam knew that, he also knew that they wanted to wait though, just like Niall and Liam had planned, but… things had turned out differently and they couldn’t have been happier. 

“We will, just… not now. Josie just only stopped peeing the bed and wearing diapers to sleep, I don’t think we’re ready for a real baby just yet.” The older man laughed a bit before turning to Liam, his face going a bit more serious all of a sudden, which the other man quickly realized was just a joke though. “But don’t worry, I’ll put diapers on her this week so she won’t ruin your thousand pounds mattress.”

“Oh, shut up, Lou, as if anybody would care if she ruined a stupid mattress. You think I’ve never had a child that wet the bed?” Liam shook his head when his best friend laughed next to him, trying not to smile so Louis wouldn’t make any more stupid jokes. 

“I was just kidding, she’d be way too embarrassed to have diapers on in front of Maddie anyways. I wonder if we’ll get any sleep tonight though, with those two in the same room.” A good question, they had all been asking themselves the same, especially because the girls had had so many sleep overs that had ended in sleepless nights. “Kinda funny, huh?”

“What’s funny?” Liam had been busy trying to think of a way to ask Louis if he and Harry could get up at night and check on the girls if they woke up so he could get Niall to himself, but the older man had been a little bit too fast to continue the conversation.

“Us two standing here talking about our children, both of us married and over 30. You ever thought it would all turn out this way?” Though surprised about the sudden change of topic, Liam took the question serious, thinking about it for a while as he looked at the water, then turned around to look back inside, watching his husband having to play horse for the girls, they were all laughing and Liam couldn’t hold back a smile.

“No. I never thought I’d ever find anybody I wanted to be with forever before I met Niall and then… I never dared to really imagine how it would all turn out, I mean… we all saw how easily it could have all ended, right? And I’m happier than I have ever been and I’m trying to enjoy every single second of it as much as I can. I guess that was one good thing that came out of everything that happened back then.” Liam hadn’t meant to be so emotional, but it kinda just came out, he met Niall’s eyes for a moment, winking at him before turning back around. 

Louis hesitated before answering, resting his elbows on the handrail and Liam almost felt bad for having brought it up. “I think about it almost every day, you know… it almost seems unreal now though, that all of this really happened. But… I know what I did and I know it was my fault and I still wish that I could change things, I know I can’t, also that I can never make up for it, but… there’s nothing I regret more than ever even having let myself getting pulled into this… bullshit, when I was a kid.”

“We’d never met if you hadn’t.” The brunette tried a smile before wrapping an arm around Louis’ shoulders. “It wasn’t your fault, none of it, and that was more than five years ago, Lou, it’s over. What happened, happened, and… if it hadn’t, I would have never know what my father did and I would have never let Niall convince me to start my own business and who knows… things might have been completely different.”

“Maybe… I still wish I could go back and change what I did or… forget it about it, but… none of us can probably.” That was true, Niall still had nightmares once a while and Liam had two reminders on his body that he saw every single day but that he had learned to live with.

“No, but it wasn’t your fault, so you don’t have to wish to go back and change it. We’re here now, aren’t we? And talking about our children wetting the bed and you and your husband adopting more babies.” Liam had purposely changed the topic to something lighter, smiling when he heard Louis letting out a quick laugh, letting his arm slip from around the older man. “Seriously though… you don’t have to feel guilty, you never did. If I was holding any secret grudge against you I wouldn’t allow my daughters to call you uncle, would I?”

“I suppose not.” For a moment, Louis looked like he wanted to say something else, but then he shook his head shortly and smiled, more genuine than before and Liam really hoped that the older man wasn’t _really_ still thinking about it every day. Not only bad things had come from it after all.

Before they could continue their conversation, Liam suddenly felt arms wrapping around him from behind, startling him just the tiniest bit because he had been lost in thoughts, not having to check though to know that it was Niall who was pressing himself up against his back, resting his cheek on the older man’s shoulder blade. “Hey… did I interrupt something? I just wanted to ask if you’ll come help me make dinner, the kids are hungry… “

“I was just about to go inside anyways, I can do it.” Louis immediately turned to walk back inside and Liam wanted to stop him for a moment, but they looked at each other briefly and it didn’t seem like the older man was still troubled because of what they had been talking about. “Don’t worry about it, you invited us here, so the least I can do is make food… with the groceries you bought.”

“Thanks, Lou.” Niall laughed against Liam’s shirt as Louis walked back inside, leaving them all to themselves and the blonde didn’t even wait two seconds before slipping his hand underneath Liam’s shirt. “You know… “

“Hm?” Liam made, not stopping Niall as he rubbed his palm across Liam’s bare skin, only grabbing a light hold of the blonde’s other hand, evenly brushing his thumb over his wrist. 

“I think I really love you.” The blonde teased, making Liam roll his eyes as he smiled to himself, leaning back against the younger boy’s embrace.

“I think I really love you too, Nialler.” He could have stayed like this forever, but of course he also didn’t complain when Niall stepped around him after kissing the back of his neck, his face all soft and happy when he looked at Liam before softly kissing him on the lips as well. After a moment he pulled back, wrapping his arms back around the older’s waist, from the front this time, resting his head in the crook of the Liam’s neck. 

“Never let me go, okay?” Niall’s voice was quiet, his arms were tight around Liam and the older man returned the hug, tugging his chin over the younger man’s head, feeling his heartbeat against his own.

“Never.” Liam promised.

 

\---------------

 

In the middle of the night, after they had attempted to take things further but had simply gone over to cuddling after a lazy make out session, just talking until they had both fallen asleep, Liam woke up to finding the younger man having slipped out of his arms. As he turned around, still not fully having woken up, to look for Niall, he almost panicked for a moment when he couldn’t find him.

Before he could really worry though or get up to look for the blonde, the bedroom door opened and Niall walked in as quietly as possible, carrying a very awake Lily and Liam immediately felt guilty for not having been woken up by her cries. Before he could apologize though, Niall had somehow been faster as soon as he had seen Liam half sitting up in bed. “Sorry, I didn’t wanna wake you… “

“You didn’t, love, I’m sorry you had to get up… everything okay?” Liam immediately reached out for their baby when Niall handed her to him before getting back in bed bedside him and the little girl sniffed a bit but she cuddled up to Liam’s chest, sucking on her thumb.

“I just checked on her and she was wide awake and crying, but not loud or anything, I walked her up and down the hallway for like 20 minutes, but… she wouldn’t go back to sleep.” The blonde made sure to wrap the blanket around all of them again, pressing close into Liam’s side when the older man wrapped his arm around him, rubbing Lily’s back with his free hand.

“Probably just all the excitement, hm? You’re okay, munchkin, you wanna sleep in mine and Papa’s bed?” Liam asked his daughter softly, feeling her nod against his chest a little bit as he kissed the top of her head, tucking Niall in closer. “She’ll be fine, Ni… I’ll stay awake, just go back to sleep, okay?”

“I’ll try… “ The younger boy mumbled into Liam’s shoulder, but he sounded incredibly tired, so Liam was sure that it wouldn’t take long until he was passed out.

He spent the next few minutes forcing his eyes to stay open, adjusting the blanket around Niall and their daughter a few times, stroking Lily’s hair and back while keeping a tight grip on his husband. When the door suddenly opened again, only ten minutes or something had passed by, probably just enough for Niall to have fallen back asleep.

“Papa? Daddy?” It was Maddie and Liam felt his stomach drop a little bit hearing her voice all quiet followed by a tiny sniff. He couldn’t really get up or move right now either or he would have both woken Lily and Niall.

“C’mere, baby girl… what’s wrong?” Liam leaned up just the tiniest bit to see her walking over to the bed in almost complete darkness, he was still pretty sure he saw how she rubbed her eyes with her knuckles.

“I can’t sleep… I wanna sleep here with you, daddy.” She had been crying, there was no doubt and Liam wished nothing more than to have her wrapped up in his arms right now, rocking her and telling her that everything was fine and that he was here.

“Okay, come here, sweetheart… careful.” He watched her climbing up on the mattress on Niall’s side, which wasn’t really his side anymore because he was lying so close to Liam now. The brunette reached out for the little girl when she was close enough, trying not to move his arm too much as he stroked her face because Niall’s head was on top of it. “Did you have a nightmare, baby?”

“No… I just woke up and… and it was dark and… I was all alone… “ So Josie had probably gone sleeping in Harry and Louis’ bed as well, Liam wasn’t really surprised. “Can I sleep between you and Papa?”

“Of course, bug… careful, okay? Papa’s asleep and your sister too.” Or hopefully she was, Liam couldn’t really check. 

“Okay… “ Of course Maddie wasn’t careful enough while climbing over Niall as to not wake him, the blonde immediately made space for her though even while half asleep, wrapping her up in his arms after Liam had leaned down a bit to kiss her forehead, his arm still around his husband, Maddie squeezed in between them now.

“Try and go to sleep, okay? I’ll be awake until you’ve slept in. I love you so much.” Liam waited for her to be comfortable, trying his best to adjust the blanket again, ending up with only one of his legs covered, but at least everybody else was.

“I love you too, daddy… “ Maddie whispered, her face pressed against his shirt.

“Love you… “ Niall mumbled from somewhere behind, a bit unexpectedly and Liam wasn’t quite sure who he had said it to, but it still made him smile. He was pretty sure that he wasn’t gonna get a whole ton of sleep anymore and that the kids would possibly keep waking up in turns, but honestly, he had all three of his babies in bed with him to cuddle and they were all alright and healthy and there was nothing else he could have wished for in this life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone :)
> 
> its done! after 20 weeks i finally finished it haha, i can barely believe it! thank you all so so much for sticking around and all the comments and the kudos and the lovely words, im always blown away by the feedback i get and it really makes writing so much more fun, im so happy that even after years of being here, you guys still like my fics, so thank you so much, to every single one of you! i really appreciate everyone reading my fics, whether you leave kudos and comments or not, and special thanks to all the people that keep coming back to write me a comment on every single chapter or who in general just use the comment section to talk to me, im really enjoying that! <333
> 
> hope you all liked the epilogue and the pictures i added and hopefully you guys wanna check out my next fic once i start it :)


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